Chapter Text
The strategy room of The Lookout was one of its most secure locations. Protected by several magical wards, it was the heart of Justice’s operations - where they planned all of their major jobs and kept tabs on the realms. The low red and gold table was always covered in maps and important documents, with the walls also having shelves filled with historical texts. Spare weapons of all varieties were also kept on racks here. It was even where they accessed the Panscope via a big, circular bronze vault door - one of their most valuable tools.
But while mainly for strategy, there were a few more relaxing amenities. (Mainly because the rest of the team insisted due to how long Liz could spend here.) Aside from the chairs and couches being plushy and red, there were also statues, decorative shields, and even a painting of them on the wall. Near the reinforced windows, a small table with an old-style gramophone for playing music. And not far from it was another table that often had a bottle with some glasses on it for anyone wanting a quick drink.
Raora did not often indulge in that last one - she liked some alcohol, but what their leader kept in there was a bit strong for her. Plus, someone with all-seeing eyes like her was not typically someone you wanted drunk. It might not end disastrously, but... chances were she would see some unflattering things and be slow about turning her gaze elsewhere.
Yet today... she found herself swishing a glass of red wine in her hand, staring out the window at an endless sea of white clouds. The brightness of the outside seemed in stark contrast to the shadows within the room that day. The red orbs used for lighting in this room, along with the chandelier using magic candles above, were dimly lit right now. It made the space feel... suffocating, in a way, especially since she was alone currently.
Though, she supposed that it fit her mood well enough...
She grimaced, clutching her glass tighter. She was trying not to be so miserable. By all accounts, today could go great for her. And more so... it could mean amazing things for the demon whom she had befriended so many months ago. (Who may also be... stealing her heart a little, but that was secondary currently. She could wait on pursuing anything there for a while longer while she confirmed the situation.)
However... she could not help but dwell on the things that could go wrong. What if... the problems she brought up were brushed aside? Could she be kicked off of the team for this? Even... thrown into The Cell as a “sympathizer?” Or made to disappear like all of those who had discovered too much about the prison’s existence, whose fates she was becoming increasingly concerned about?
Not that she ever thought in a million years that her friends would lock her up in any capacity... However, that did not mean the overseers of that place would not try. And they knew all about her capabilities. If they put together the right kind of team while she was alone...
The panther-girl huffed, frustrated at herself for such aimless speculation. She took another sip of her drink, letting the burn in her throat distract her from such dark thoughts. Still, she knew she should not drink too much more - she was lightly tipsy already, and if she wanted any chance of convincing the others, she needed her mental faculties.
You don’t even know what this meeting is about, she pointed out to herself. It was Liz who had given the call for them all to convene here via their communication orbs. She had not offered much in the way of explanation - just that it was an important matter that had to be discussed in person. She and the others were surprised by the suddenness of this, since they had no major jobs coming up as far as they knew. However, they had all confirmed that they heard her and that they would be there.
Still... the pink-haired woman was getting worried about what this entailed. Normally, the Scarlet Queen was here a good hour at minimum before a meeting to set things up for everyone. However, this time... when she had come here a good half-hour before, there had been no signs of the redhead. Not even the papers on the table had been changed from their last major raid of an evil compound, which suggested her friend had not been in there at all.
And now, there were about five minutes before the meeting was supposed to start, and the other was still not here. It deeply worried Raora, who wondered if something had happened to her friend. Liz had... not been doing well these past few months, to say the least. Between her appearance getting messier and her just generally looking more tired, stress about something was clearly getting to her. It had been, ever since that day with Bijou’s breach... which she was still close-lipped about, despite visiting the prisoner constantly since then.
It left a lot of uncertainties about what was to come. Was this meeting related to those events? Was she finally going to explain what had happened between her and the Jewel of Emotions? That might work to her favor regarding her own issues... but there was room for doubt. Their leader had always shown her loyalty to the divine. If she was about to start ordering them to stop spending so much time with the inmates like they had been here lately...
The panther-girl sighed, shaking her head. She realized she was probably being pessimistic over nothing. The Scarlet Queen was always willing to listen to her, and... if needed, perhaps she could change her mind. Hopefully, she could also get through to the other two as well. Gigi was another uncertainty, but with how much Cecilia watched over the twins now...
...But it was still difficult not to consider the worst-case scenarios. If things did not go even partially her way... then more than her own, she feared for the fate of her newly-found friend. Who despite being able to hear her own voice again on occasion, was still clearly on her last legs in terms of her sanity. A woman who should have been freed long ago, having served whatever time needed for her manslaughter. And from what she had said, the rest of the prisoners were in similar positions.
She had to do this right. Five women’s lives were on the line here. She was already a driving force in these meetings, and today, she would need to summon that authority, plus a little more. There was no room for failure, otherwise-
The doors to the room suddenly flew open, a familiar, cheeky voice filling the room. “Stand up, bitches! The best teammate has arrived!”
Another familiar voice sighed, sounding exasperated. “Do you have to do that every time you come into this room? Can’t you come up with something new to say, at least?”
“I will when it stops being funny!” Gigi replied, a grin evident in her voice.
“...Meaning you think it was ever funny to begin with,” Cecilia deadpanned. Though, despite her words, a faint trace of amusement was in her tone.
Just hearing them banter did wonders to ease the knots in Raora’s heart. Smiling a little, she turned to look at them as they walked into the room. They, at least, did not look haggard like Liz had been recently. Their clothes were in order, and both seemed to be in remarkably good spirits. The automaton was even pulling the gremlin’s hoodie over her head to cut off her next words, to the shorter woman’s muffled protests.
A laugh left her at the sight. It was refreshing to see these days. Lately, it seemed like there was far less cheer around The Lookout in general. Even Gigi, their resident bringer of chaos, had appeared more grim-faced about something. So listening to them both having a good time with one another was reassuring. A reminder that despite all the terrible things she had been learning about their positions as wardens, they were not breaking apart yet.
...Though their future as a group might depend on what she chose to say here in a minute.
She was given some delays for that, though, as the gremlin got her hood off and spotted her. She grinned widely, closing the distance between them faster than the taller woman could blink and wrapping her in a hug, her black tail wagging. “Raora! It’s so good to see you! It feels like you’re never in the base anymore!”
The panther-girl felt a pang in her heart, knowing how much recently she had gone to see Nerissa. Still, she smiled warmly back and returned the embrace with her free arm, patting her friend on the head. “Sorry about that, then. Believe me, it’s good to see you, too.”
Gigi beamed at her, the two sharing a quiet moment of happiness... However, it was broken by Cecilia, who was looking around the room with a frown. “Wait... where’s Liz?”
Raora’s smile fell, her tail drooping behind her. But she still answered, shaking her head. “I... don’t know. I’ve been here for over half an hour, and she hasn’t come yet.”
That made the gremlin frown, who pulled away from her to look around herself. Once she confirmed her words, her expression dropped further. “She’s... actually going to be late for a meeting? One she called? But... That... Why? How?”
The automaton shook her head, evidently as uneasy. “Why, indeed. Raora, are you sure you haven’t-” She cut off then as her gaze went to the pink-haired woman... then promptly froze, her eyes widening in shock. “R-Raora? Have... you been drinking?”
Wincing at this, and from Gigi also whipping her head back to her with a stunned expression, said woman could only shrug. “Just... a little bit.” She sighed, staring a little dejectedly into what remained of her wine glass. “There’s... been a lot on my mind lately. I’m just trying to... make sure I have a clear head, I suppose. But I’m also trying not to overdo it.”
The other two stared at her for a long moment, making her want to squirm. But then... Cecilia sighed as well, suddenly seeming... tired as she looked down. “I... guess I can relate to that.” She stepped forward, surprising the other by taking her glass and sipping at the remaining wine. Then she nodded over toward the chairs. “Want to sit down for a minute?”
Blinking from her friend's sudden change, Raora nonetheless nodded in agreement. She let herself be led over to one of the couches without any fuss. She also noticed Gigi trailing behind them, looking... deflated. It tugged at the strings in her heart, but she kept quiet for the moment, feeling like... they all needed the moment of silence.
They were soon all sat on the sofa, with her in the middle, the automaton on her left, and the gremlin to her right. They sat there for a time, all seeming lost in thought. The mechanical-girl proceeded to finish off the wine glass while they waited, though she knew it would not get her friend drunk. She lacked the organic parts for that, after all.
But... something in those green eyes seemed to suggest she wished she could get a little buzzed as she idly tapped on the glass.
Once it was fully emptied, though, it appeared to be the indicator for them to start talking again. The second it was set on the table, Gigi cleared her throat, looking at the pink-haired woman cautiously. “Sooo... what inspired you to go wine-sipping? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Raora pursed her lips, glancing at the doors going into the room. “I... was hoping to explain everything once we were all here.”
Cecilia sighed wearily. “I can go look for Liz if you want. But... for her to be late like this, she might not be in a state to listen, which... Gods, I can’t even remember a time this has happened. Can either of you?”
Both other women shook their heads, more worry etched onto their faces. The Scarlet Queen was nothing if not meticulous about the meetings she called. And if anything came up last-minute, she never failed to send word to them in some way. So this tardiness without a single attempt to use the orbs to say why... Honestly, if she did not know any better, she would have assumed their leader had died. But they would have known if she had - The Lookout having parietal ties to her being, meaning it would have reacted in some way to that.
It did not stop her tail from flickering nervously, however, as her hands curled up in her lap. “Maybe I should use my God Eyes? Just to see where she is.”
“I second that - this is getting freaky,” Gigi agreed, wringing her hands together.
“Let’s give her ten more minutes, at least,” Cecilia suggested, despite looking just as concerned. “This could just be an off-day for her, and she’s on her way now as we speak. We’re all allowed to have those with our work, right?”
“...You mean like you every day with your cleaning?” the gremlin suggested. She gave a weak smile, the chuckle she put at the end of it sounding forced.
While clunky, though, the small joke did manage to break the tense atmosphere a little as Cecilia smiled. “I’ll have you know I’ve been on top of my duties here recently. You’re welcome about your room, by the way.”
“‘You’re welcome?’” Gigi asked incredulously. “You completely ruined its feng shui! All of the thrown around toys and clothes are in the completely wrong places, thanks to you! And the air! It’s too breathable now!”
“...I don’t think you even know the meaning of ‘feng shui.’”
“Of course I do! It’s a fancy phrase for room decorating! Of which you clearly need some lessons in!”
Raora giggled some at their banter, having to cover her mouth as they kept coming. It was not even that funny - no more so than how they usually bickered. Yet today... it was like it was the best joke in the world. The laughter forced its way out of her chest, pushing through the remaining knots there to do so.
Once she was done, though... she felt the two pairs of eyes staring at her without having to look. Taking a deep breath, she kept her gaze on the table, trying to compose herself. “I’m... I’m sorry. Things have been... Well, there have been a lot of problems on my plate here recently. I needed that.”
“...There have been for me, too, if you can believe it,” Gigi murmured, her body slumping toward to prop her head up with her arms on her legs. “I’ve been trying to keep up my, as you all put it, ‘Gigi nature’ to keep everyone happy. But... it doesn’t feel like that’s what I need right now. And I don’t want to lose focus on something... rather important.”
Cecilia sighed again, nodding her head. “Yeah... There’s a reason I took back up my cleaning duties. I’ve found much better ways to keep distracted, but it’s been a way to center myself after... learning some stuff.” She grimaced. “It was important we learn it, but... it’s weighed on us all, it seems.”
Raora looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. “You say that like we have the same problems you’re having.”
The automaton looked at her, her eyes surprisingly intense. She nodded, her tone firm. “I do, actually. I think we’re all talking about the same thing. I’ve let it sit for several weeks while I tried to gather evidence and confirm some stuff, but...” She huffed, leaning back against the couch. “It’s honestly amazing how stubborn all of us can be. Or maybe it just has to do with the scope of the issue. I don’t know. I do want to say sorry for not saying anything sooner, though. It looks like it was getting worse for you to handle.”
The panther-girl blinked, processing those words. Was... was her friend talking about what she thought she was? A part of her did not believe it. Months had passed since the initial incident with Bijou. Sure, she had hoped the other might be willing to be sympathetic due to spending time with the twins, but...
...Wait a minute, she thought. Her eyes widened, whipping her head toward Cecilia. “Hold on... Are you actually talking about...? Have Fuwawa and Mococo been telling you...?”
“Of course they did,” the green-white-haired woman said, turning her head fully toward her. “What do you think the reason is that I went to them to begin with? Everyone on the team starts acting suspicious - most after interacting with some of the prisoners - and you think I wouldn’t be curious to find out why?”
Raora swallowed at this. A large part of her felt incredibly foolish at that moment for missing the signs. It was so obvious, but she was too caught in her own woes and hatred for The Cell to notice! Now she was realizing she might have been able to start talking about this with her friend much sooner, making heat creep up her neck from embarrassment.
Despite her stupidity, though... it also sparked a new sense of hope in her. She stared at her teammate, speaking slowly. “So... you know then? That the prisoners... Advent... The reasons they are locked up are...”
“...Are almost all fake and exaggerations,” Cecilia confirmed. She scowled, looking down in anger. “The twins are the most innocent out of all of them, too. They’re just excitable hellhounds! All they want is to play games with people! They didn’t cause willy-nilly destruction. Hell, the people I’ve interviewed about past experiences with them who are still alive had nothing but nice things to say! Even the ones who accidentally got injured from them!”
Raora nodded along, feeling her insides twist at how upset her friend was, but also feeling her hope swell within her. “That’s... that’s what Nerissa has said about them, too. She’s... also a good person at heart. There’s no excuse for the deaths she caused with her singing, but it was an accident she deeply regrets. She’d have been more than willing to pay her dues, but The Cell... It was never meant for that purpose. It-”
“-All seems to be one big experiment of some kind,” the automaton finished for her. “They don’t know for what, but... everything we were told was a lie. Not just the accommodations of some of their cells.”
The panther-girl sighed shakily, nodding again. Just hearing that from someone else was both gratifying to her research... and also dreadful. Her cat ears flattened on her head, recalling some of the descriptions that Nerissa had told her about what she was subjected to. Blood drainings, careful prods... And a bit of this right under their noses when they were made wardens! Rage burned in her chest, picturing the horrible things the guards had put the woman she was growing to love through...
Before her anger could get out of hand, though... a cough to her right reminded her of the other person in the room. Gigi rubbed the back of her head, eyes flickering around nervously. “I, uh... might have some idea of what they’re trying to do with them. Or, well... theories from a certain someone. She can’t exactly verify them in her position.”
The other two paused, looking over at her. Raora’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out what the short woman meant... but already having some guesses. “What... do you mean? Who told you these theories?”
The gremlin chuckled sheepishly, giving them a nervous look. “Well... Don’t freak out or anything, but... you know how I’ve disappeared for a few hours on some days for the past few months?”
The two other Justice members nodded. It was a persistent phenomenon the pink-haired woman had noticed, but not given much thought about. She had been too focused on her investigations of Nerissa’s claims. Not to mention that it was not unusual for their shortest member to be constantly trying to force her way into places. She just assumed her friend had found a nice place to hang out... But now...
Gigi chuckled again, her awkward smile persistent. “Weelll... I may or may not have been... constantly breaking into Shiori’s cell? And... talking with her?”
...A beat of silence passed. Then both of the others gazed at her incredulously, with Cecilia in particular looking quite shocked. “You WHAT?!”
The gremlin shook her head. “Ah, calm down. She isn’t evil! I’ve covered plenty of ground with her, hard as it was. Besides, we’ve just established that all of Advent are basically innocent souls! I was never in any danger!”
Raora gave her a flat look. “Did you know that when you first went to her?”
“...No,” Gigi admitted, grimacing as her tail drooped. It then wrapped around her as she hugged the big end of it, her eyes misting over. “I... I didn’t know what else to do, though. You and Liz were being mysterious - and not in the cool way - and Ceci was already regressing into a boring cleaner. I was scared about what was happening, and...” She took a deep breath, her voice getting quieter. “I... didn’t want to lose my family.”
That made her teammates wince, exchanging sorrowful looks. The panther-girl was beating herself up on the inside, now extremely guilty about delaying trying to talk about this. Everyone knew full-well how the gremlin viewed them. They were her family and heroes, who saved her from her worst “fragmenting” to date. And as a result... she was not convinced the other would not sacrifice herself and die for them if it meant keeping them safe.
With that in mind... what other reaction could be expected from her? Seeing all of her teammates hurting, and it not being hard to figure out The Cell was involved... And as ever, the brown-haired woman worked by impulse and went to, as far as any of them knew months back, the heart of darkness. Brash, idiotic... but fully motivated by love for them and wanting to see things get better.
Shame weighing on her heart, Raora scooted closer to her friend, wrapping one arm around her. “Gigi... I’m so sorry. I never meant to...” She sighed with frustration. “Gods, why didn’t I speak up sooner?”
“Because it’s a very big accusation to make,” Gigi said, her voice uncharacteristically serious. “That the gods took a bunch of women prisoner not for perceived crimes, but just to see what made them tick? So many religious fanatics would be at our throats before we could even finish the accusation. And considering that at least some of the guards have to be in on the whole conspiracy, saying anything around them could have ended disastrously.
“And even just among us... How could we know for sure we were on the same page? Maybe everyone else was realizing the same thing, but they just as easily could have dismissed it all not long after. With how loyal to the gods Liz is in particular...” She shrugged. “So gathering evidence was smart. To be sure you could convince us just in case... like we were doing for everyone else, too.”
...The panther-girl had to blink for a second. It was not that the words were wrong - they had lots of truth to them, actually. It was... just who this was coming from. Someone who only sounded wise when discussing how it was definitely a good idea to let her eat the whole plate of cookies she had made.
Cecilia agreed, it seemed, as she raised an eyebrow at the short woman. “...Who are you, and what have you done with Gigi?”
The gremlin sighed. “I’ve... been focusing really hard on this. I’ve been using so many techniques Shiori taught me to not lose the plot, even if we talk about nonsense half the time I visit now.” She huffed. “And you know... I’ve decided that thinking sucks. I demand a full vacation from ever having to think for six months once all of this is done.”
The automaton gave a small smirk. “So... back to business as usual after this?”
“Essentially, yeah,” Gigi replied, not a hint of hesitation in her voice.
Raora giggled, before looking at the woman she was holding curiously. “So... what do you mean by talking nonsense? Does Shiori let you yap?”
“Oh, she’s a full-on enabler and participant!” the gremlin declared, perking up considerably as she smiled. “We can bounce off of each other for hours without being close to stopping! She has so many interesting topics to talk about - quite a few of them cursed, but I’m not complaining! It really fits her, and makes her little goth look all the more appealing along with her li-!”
She stopped short, her words appearing to catch up with her. Looking away, she gave a small cough, cheeks reddening. “Um... Forget that last part.”
The panther-girl laughed, smiling smugly. “After all the relationship teasing you’ve given us over the years? Not a chance.” Her expression softened. “And besides... I can relate. It’s not in the same way, but... the voice of a certain demon is quite alluring to me, too.” She swore she could fall asleep to her singing, no magic required.
Cecilia tilted her head at them, her artificial eyebrows furrowed. “Is... now really the time to be talking about this? And also, isn’t it weird to be in love with our prisoners? I get that it might not feel like that’s what they are to us all now, but...”
Gigi turned to her, pointing an accusing finger. “Oh, like I’m to believe you don’t want to shag those doggos! What kind of ‘playing’ do you do with them, exactly?”
While the automaton could not blush, her flustered state was evident enough by her rapidly spinning key. “T-that isn’t...! I’m not even organic! Why would they even...?!” She stopped, her eyebrows furrowing again. “Though... they’ve been giving me certain looks here recently. Is that...?” After another moment, she sighed and shook her head. “W-whatever. My point stands that we have more important things to talk about.”
“...Like explaining ourselves to Liz?” the gremlin offered, her nervousness returning.
This emotion was mirrored by the other two as they all exchanged looks. They might have all come to the same conclusion, but their leader... That blind spot with the gods could become a problem. She might just dig her heels in about this, even with how exhausted she had become, and if she opposed the three of them... Even together, she was not sure they could take her.
She’s been seeing Bijou a lot, Raora reminded herself. Now that she was not in such a gloomy mindset, she recognized that there was a good chance that it was for the same reason as all of them. However... it might also have solely been to look after the gem-girl’s recovery, having been injured by the guards who entered her cell that day. Even Liz seldom let someone she viewed as evil suffer from grievous wounds if it could be helped.
Eventually, she sighed, shaking her head. “I want... to believe she’ll listen to us. That our word will mean more than her devotion to the gods. But it doesn’t make me any less worried about what could happen if... she doesn’t.”
Cecilia sighed as well. But soon, she sat up straighter, her face more resolute. “Well... I have faith that no matter what, she won’t try to harm us. We’ve been through so much over the years. There’s no way she would toss it all aside over even a disagreement as big as this.” She chuckled. “I think all we’ll have to worry about is finding a new place to live if it comes down to it.”
While a little sad, the joke got Raora laughing again. “I’ll be sure to ‘sight see’ some houses for us in that case.” She then took a deep breath, nodding firmly. “But you’re right. She would never hurt us. And she’ll at least hear us out, even if she doesn’t approve, right?”
“She does it enough when talking with potential clients,” the automaton said. “I’d say chances are very good she’ll extend that courtesy to us. And we all have our evidence, right? I’d say we have a good chance to convince her if she’s not with us already!”
The panther-girl nodded, looking around for her red bag. “Yeah! Where did I put my things? I have a lot of documents with testimonies and such! Do you have some papers of your own? Gigi, what has Shiori said about the experiments? If we can present a good case for what they may be doing with Advent, then-”
It was then that she looked at her friend... but stopped, noticing that the other had gone rigid, eyes wide as she stared at something. Frowning, she tried to shake her. “Gigi? What’s...?”
The gremlin gave a small gulp... then looked up at her, voice nervous as she pointed. “Um... I think we’re going to have to improvise our case to her now.”
Raora and Cecilia followed her finger... then both promptly froze, too. Because at the door, which was being held open... stood Liz herself, appearing frozen halfway entering the room. Her armor and hair were as messy as the last time she had seen her, unfortunately, and the pink-haired woman internally winced at the dark circles under her eyes. Yet the sword on her back and the sheer magic radiating from the blue flame on her chest made her still look powerful. She also had a large black duffle bag with her, seeming to be stuffed full of something.
She could not wonder what was in it, though, as she saw those red eyes flickering between all of them. Their leader did not seem... angry, which was a good start, she supposed. But it was hard to tell what exactly she was feeling beneath the shock on her expression. Her mouth was slightly parted, but no words were coming out.
Swallowing, the panther-girl glanced at her teammates. While she would have liked time to gather her things and organize them, she did not think they could delay that long. (It was what she got for wasting time drinking, she supposed.) But she wanted to take any heat away from the other two. She unofficially had the second-highest authority in the group by seniority and discipline factors, so it was kind of her duty to step up, too, anyway.
So, after a quick second to prepare herself, she stood up and slowly approached the redhead. She did her best to smile, trying to keep her voice casual. “Uh... Hey, Liz! We didn’t... hear you come in.” Her eyes flickered to the door. “How... long have you been standing there?”
“...Since Cecilia mentioned her reasons for seeing Fuwamoco,” the Scarlet Queen replied, her tone unreadable. She was looking down now, her eyes seeming to stare at nothing.
The panther-girl winced, realizing that this meant she had heard practically everything. “Ah... Well, that’s a bit embarrassing. I’ve really let myself grow too distracted here lately, huh? Imagine someone with my sight getting caught unaware like this, right?”
Liz did not respond to the attempted joke, still looking down. Faltering a little, she bit her lips, wringing her hands together as she tried to figure out how best to start this. “I... Look, Liz, I know how much you-”
“So you all know, then,” the redhead said dully.
Roara stopped, not... having expected that. She blinked, her animal ears twitching. “H-huh?”
The Scarlet Queen’s voice started to waver. “You... you know the truth about this whole operation. You know how I’ve...” She took a shuddering breath... and with a start, the pink-haired woman saw she was starting to cry, tears trailing down her face. “...How I’ve failed you all as your leader.”
The panther-girl’s eyes widened... but understanding came to her rather quickly. Her posture loosened, her face softening with sympathy. Of course... I was an idiot for ever thinking there would be a problem. “Oh, Liz...”
That was all the invitation her friend needed, it seemed, as her breath hitched. Then... she fell forward into her subordinate’s arms, sobbing lightly as she hugged her. Raora held her back, gently lowering them to the ground. Her hands wasted no time rubbing soothing motions along her back, letting her ride out her emotions.
Their leader was strong, and did everything in her power to support them normally... But even she needed a shoulder to lean on at times.
It did not take long for the other two to join them there. Cecilia helped to gently move them out of the door’s way so it could close, before kneeling and hugging Liz on her left. Gigi then proceeded to hug her on the left, her tail stretching so it could surround them all. It wrapped them up tightly but snuggly, giving a sense of security as they waited for the redhead to calm down, giving her all the time she needed.
And soon enough, the Scarlet Queen found her composure again. She pulled back from Raora, with all of them backing off to give her some space. She did not rise from the floor, though, and refused to meet their eyes as she looked to the side, rubbing one of her arms. “I... Thank you for that. Though, I do not know if... I deserve your comfort. Not when I’ve... made such a horrendous blunder.” Her head lowered more, seeming almost physically pained by the admission.
Cecilia frowned sadly at her. “So you’ve been in the same situation as us after all, then.”
Liz nodded, sniffling and raising an arm to wipe her eyes. “Yes, I... Bijou is such a sweet girl. Cursed by a maddening enchantment she never wanted and has caused her so much misery... And yet she is not bitter at the world for it. All she wishes is to find a place away from people who would be consumed by her charm and... just live free of harm.”
Gigi hummed, wringing her hands together. “That... matches what Shiori has mentioned. According to her, Bijou has had it the worst out of any of them.”
“...I doubt you know the half of it,” the Scarlet Queen murmured. A fresh set of tears built up in her eyes. “I’ve tried so hard to ease her pains, but... Her joints still have cracks, and every movement makes her hiss in pain... Some of it, I think, is going to remain as scars on her skin. I-I even saw the sign of old cracks in places, and...”
Heart clenching at the expression on her face, Raora reached out and grabbed her shoulder. “Liz - breathe for me.”
Said woman complied, taking a deep breath. She wiped her eyes, still clearly miserable but at least calmer. “I’m... sorry. This isn’t how I should appear to you, but...” She growled, rage suddenly showing on her face. “How... how could I have been so stupid?! There had to have been signs from the moment we were assigned here that I should have seen!” She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “But I didn’t question a thing! It was a task from the gods! It had to be righteous, right?! There’s no way any god could be... be fucking snakes in the grass!”
The other three gasped. It was rare enough to hear her curse so openly, but she had never directed it toward the gods. She revered them far too much for that... But a few months could change a lot of things, it seemed.
After a few ragged breaths, Liz released a heavy sigh, looking down with evident heavy sorrow. “Gods... Even now, I’m having trouble accepting it fully in my heart. I’ve been faithful to them for so long, and now...” Her fingers went to her flame, passing through it without harm. “Has... has it all been a lie? Were there... other reasons I was given this by one of them? I-”
Surprisingly, it was Gigi who jumped in while shaking her head. “Now, that just sounds unfair. I think your mistake has been assuming that all the gods are good. But the truth is probably that... well, they’re just like people. There’s good ones like the one who gifted you your flame... and bad ones like who oversee The Cell.”
The Scarlet Queen seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Hm... Yes, you’re probably right. It just seems so... absurd to think about, though. They’re supposed to be above mere mortals, and yet they fall to our own failings?”
“Is it actually weird, or is it due to what they’ve taught us?” the gremlin asked.
...Liz blinked, furrowing her eyebrows at the shorter woman. “You... really have taken this whole matter seriously, huh? That is probably the closest thing to a thought-provoking question I think I’ve ever heard out of you.”
Gigi gave a small laugh. “I literally stole all of that from Shiori. And hey! I say plenty of thought-provoking things! They’re just not ‘philosophical’ thoughts or anything like that!”
The Scarlet Queen narrowed her eyes. “Yes... We’re going to have to talk about your breaking into her cell, even if it worked out for the better.” She sighed again before grimacing. “But... I must apologize again for my lack of vigilance. I let faith blind me, and-”
It was Cecilia’s turn to put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, we were all tricked. We’ve all been working here and saw how the guards were. But none of us put the pieces together, either. It’s only because their own security measures are apparently not perfect that we had the chance to find out anything. So don’t be so harsh on yourself over it.”
Liz bit her lips, looking uncertain. “B-but...”
“Liz,” Raora chimed in. She grabbed her leader’s chin, gently lifting her head so she could meet her eyes to give a meaningful look. “I’m glad you’re not just blindly believing the gods anymore, and I understand how hard that’s been on you, and will continue to be. But this is not on you alone. We were all blinded when we got this assignment. Even I, for all of my complaints, could never have imagined the full scale of things.
“There’s nothing we can do to change that... But we can make up for our mistakes by pushing forward to fix things.” She pointed at the ground. “Because there are five women down there who need our help. And if you’re the leader I’ve always known you as... I know you won’t let such an injustice stand, right?”
There was silence for a moment, the two of them just staring at one another. Then, with a deep breath... the Scarlet Queen nodded, a different kind of fire lighting up in her eyes. “No... I’m not. And I’m not going to let the people who organized this all - whether mortal or deity - get away with what they’ve done to my girl and her friends.”
The panther-girl smiled, with the other two following suit. Her tail started swishing with newfound invigoration, already feeling confident about this new direction. Her concerns while waiting for this meeting were already a distant, foolish memory to her. Liz, as always, had pulled through, and now, together they could-!
...She stopped short, however, as one part of that sentence caught up with her. She blinked, looking with wide eyes at her. “Wait... ‘My girl?’”
Taking a second to process this, the redhead’s face soon became red itself, her eyes darting around with sudden anxiety. “T-that isn’t... What I meant was...”
The others only snickered, though, with Gigi giving a particularly teasing grin. “Ah, we all want them all so bad. Will you be planning everyone’s weddings?”
After a little longer stumbling to defend herself, Liz eventually gave up, sighing heavily while pinching her nose. “Can we focus on the issue at hand, please?”
Cecilia nodded once her giggles died down. “Sure thing. I’m just glad that was all rather painless to get sorted.”
Raora hummed in agreement. “I cannot stress that enough myself. The last thing we needed was some internal strife.” She chuckled sheepishly. “It makes me feel pretty paranoid for gathering those documents for this meeting, though!”
The automaton and Gigi laughed with her... However, the Scarlet Queen looked rather intrigued at this, her eyes going to the duffle she had brought. “Actually... those might make some good additions to what I brought for this meeting.”
Everyone looked at her, all of them having a confused look. The panther-girl vocalized her own feelings. “Huh? Wait - why did you call this meeting?” With all of the revelations, she had nearly forgotten why they were all there to begin with.
Liz stood up, marching to the low table with renewed authority. “Well, the first part of this meeting was supposed to be me revealing my findings regarding the truth about Advent and The Cell... along with deep apologies for having misled you all.” She cleared a spot on the table, then reached into her duffle. “Since we all did our own independent investigations on that matter, though... I’m glad to say we can move on to the second part.”
The others all came up to her sides, curiosity evident among them as Gigi spoke. “And what would that be?”
The Scarlet Queen shrugged as she continued ruffling through her bag. “Well, it’s going to take a few months to set everything up. We’ll also need to figure out ways to covertly inform Advent of the plan. But, through some pulling of resources and a careful exposé to be sent out by some contacts for everyone to see and hear...”
She paused for dramatic effect... Then, she smirked and threw some documents onto the table. Everyone looked at them... and Raora’s eyes widened as she realized they were schematics for different parts of The Cell! Not only that, but there were also notes that seemed to be about bypassing runes she had seen around that facility. Plus, she could tell that other pages had testimonies that she imagined were not in favor of the prison or what they claimed Advent was.
The Scarlet Queen took a moment to organize what she put out, with sounds from the duffle making it clear this was only part of all she had. And once she was done, she stood tall, looking at them all... and giving a vicious smirk. “...It’s time that we tear down the reputations of everyone here through their own sins, and free our lovely ladies in one fell swoop. So, shall we get started?”
Everyone else exchanged glances... then adopted similar smirks. Cecilia’s key clicked as she appeared to go into deep thought, taking in the presented documents. Gigi, meanwhile, rubbed her hands together while giggling like a maniac under her breath.
As for Raora... She was just glad to have such an amazing team. This was definitely going to take a lot of careful planning, not to mention a little luck. The guards were focused on keeping the prisoners in, but they had preparations for anyone attacking from outside of their cells. She would be amazed if they had not prepared anything for them specifically, too, considering the strained relations over the past several weeks. She and her teammates were going to have to give this everything they had to make it work.
But she was confident in this. They had faced worse odds before now. And she knew from looking at everyone that when the time came... nothing was going to stop them from freeing their inmates-turned-friends. (Even something a little more in individual cases...)
///////
[Over One and a Half Years Later...]
It was inside the strategy room that Raora once again stood. She was once more by the window, like on that day so long ago when she realized everything would be okay. Though, this time, she was not sipping on any wine... though it was tempting. Not because of any nerves she needed soothing, but because it was supposed to be a relaxing day. Getting buzzed with everyone and having a good laugh sounded rather pleasant.
...But then again, Shiori was the one who explained why they should, so maybe she should stick with being sober.
However, despite having no drink... she was not empty-handed. Leaning on the wall, she had in her hand some papers, which she was using the light of the soon-to-be-setting sun to read. Her tail moved languidly as she hummed to herself. Her body was also a little sore in places from her... little fun with Nerissa earlier, but she ignored it for now. (Luckily, she had been able to hide the hickies from Gigi’s sight... But she knew teasing was still incoming soon.)
It was rather easy to put that out of mind as she read the pages she had in hand, too. She had retrieved them from one of the shelves, feeling rather nostalgic today. In addition to books, they also kept old plans from previous operations there. They were useful as references when they were about to face similar scenarios, or, in some cases, to learn from past mistakes and figure out how to do better.
These, though, were from one of their more successful operations... More specifically, the one that freed all of their now-girlfriends.
She smiled wistfully as she went through the current document. This one had details about Fuwamoco’s escape plan. The idea there was for her to unlock their cells after Cecilia got through disabling Nerissa’s cell’s defenses and setting her free. That would allow for some cover for them in the already spiraling chaos to get them out undetected... and go in for a sneak attack from the other end of the guards’ defensive lines.
Needless to say, it was a complete success. (She and the automaton later shared a hug as thanks for helping one another’s lovers, too.) Honestly, she was not sure they all could have asked for the breakout to go any better! Everything had really come together, thanks to several months of planning for every contingency possible. From Gigi’s destroying of Shiori’s wards - the latter’s power being a major contributor to how smooth things went - and Liz keeping Bijou close and annihilating any guard who got close, everything had felt like a breeze!
That was not to say everything went perfectly, though. The Archivist had been exhausted afterward from overuse of her magic and was bedridden for a week. Their follow-up strike on the nearby facility they had discovered holding those who had been “silenced” about The Cell’s existence also had some bumps.
But in the end... she was content. Because seeing the expressions on the Advent members' faces when they first got out... That moment that they all felt sunlight on their skin for the first time in millennia... Those happy tears that had filled their eyes would always stick with her, along with their hopeful smiles.
It was a day worth celebrating... and that was exactly what they were doing now.
As though having sensed her thoughts, it was then that the cheerful voice of Mococo reached her ears. “Raora! Come on - get over here! Liz and Bijou are going to get here any minute!”
Laughing a little, the panther-girl lowered the documents, looking at where everyone else was. They had set up the chairs and couches to better surround the low table, which instead of documents, had a covered silver platter on it. The lighting of the chandelier above was also being increased magically, giving the room a more lively air.
Cecilia and the twins were sitting on one couch, the hellhounds pressed on either side of the automaton as they waved her over. Gigi and Shiori were also in chairs next to one another, the former bouncing excitedly while the latter was reading a book, though had an amused smile. And finally, Nerissa was on another couch... and was giving her a seductive look as she patted the spot next to her.
Rolling her eyes at this, the pink-haired woman nonetheless came over. She settled down in her seat quickly, wasting no time pulling her lover into a side hug as she sighed contently. “Alright, I’m here. Now, do we know if they’re close to arriving yet?”
Fuwawa tilted her head at her. “Wouldn’t you be the one to know that? Can’t you check on them with your eyes?” She used her fingers to pull her eyelids open for emphasis, making them wider than normal.
Giggling at the comical sight, Raora shook her head. “I want to give them their privacy... You never know if they’re taking advantage of the day to be a little spicy, after all.~”
Mococo groaned at this, giving her a flat look. “Just because you and Nerissa are banging every day of your lives, doesn’t mean that everyone else is as frisky. Stop making it weird! They’re probably just cuddling in bed, if anything!”
Gigi snickered, smirking at her. “Aw, come on! You expect me to believe you haven’t tried to ‘get it on’ with Ceci? I bet you and Fuwawa are so affectionate during heats!” She laughed some more. “You two are definitely closet degenerates! Yep! I’ve figured it all out!”
“...You do realize I can smell the remnants of what you and Shiori did, right?” the pink-twin deadpanned. “Do you actually want to play this game?”
Despite blushing, the gremlin just cackled more. “As if you could keep up with my yapping!”
The younger twin groaned, flopping back on the couch. While Cecilia helped calm her down, though (and looked amused all the while), the blue-twin glanced at the platter with a little uncertainty. “Speaking of... You both washed off before making whatever is under there, right?”
“Oh, no - her fluids were the secret ingredient,” Shiori remarked casually. “It’ll add an extra tanginess to this.” Looking up from her book, she laughed at the disgusted expression on the hellhound’s face before smiling. “I’m kidding! We washed up. You won’t taste a hint of what can be found in Gigi in there.”
Nerissa looked at her, smirking a little. “What would it have tasted like if you added a little of your girlfriend in there, though? We’re all dying to know.~”
It was clearly meant to be a joke... But, naturally, the Archivist took it seriously as she rubbed her chin, looking down in thought. “Hm... Well, going from base, she tastes like-”
The gremlin’s tail immediately covered her mouth. Her face was completely red, now officially flustered. “Don’t tell them that! It’s gross!”
Shiori yanked the tail off, smiling innocently at her. “But I’m doing this for Mococo! If she can’t keep up with you, then as her friend, I must defend her honor!”
“...Can I opt out of having you as my defender?” Mococo asked. Her gaze was hazy, though, as Cecilia had moved her hand up to scratch her ears.
The Archivist gave a mock gasp, putting a hand over her heart. “How could you, Mococo! After all I’ve sacrificed for you!”
“If you’re willing to reveal stuff like that causally, is it really a sacrifice?” Cecilia asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nerissa chuckled, leaning her head on Raora’s shoulder. “Ah, Liz is certainly going to be in for a time today, huh? You know, whenever she’s done definitely fricking Bijou.” She hummed, looking genuinely curious. “Actually... how do you even do it with her? She doesn’t have-”
“That’s none of your business,” A voice suddenly said from the door. “Not another word, because what I’ve heard so far is already making me regret coming here.”
Everyone turned their heads toward her... and smiled at the sight that greeted them. Raora in particular noted the change in their leader from that day they all came together to start making the escape plans. Gone were the bags under her eyes, and her clothes and armor were in perfect condition. Heck, she would even argue that their leader looked stronger than ever, the flame on her chest never having seemed brighter. She looked every bit like a person in charge of one of the best hero groups in all the realms.
...Though, her imposing nature was admittedly undercut by her giving Bijou a piggyback ride.
But in fairness, it was an adorable sight. The gem-girl had brushed aside her lover’s hair so she could nuzzle her head into her neck with a small, yet bright smile. The Scarlet Queen was giggling softly from it, too, as she walked them over closer to everyone. It was clear they had taken their time coming here, both of their demeanors casual and the redhead’s steps slow even now to stretch things out.
Anyone else seeing this would have no doubt just seen it as simple couple antics... But everyone else in the room knew it was more than that. A quick glance at the rest of Advent showed the new softness in their eyes, seeing their friend, who was normally so adverse to touch, soaking it in so freely from Liz. It spoke to the levels of trust she put in her... along with her devotion.
It seemed that today was an especially good one for her in that regard, too. Once they reached one of the remaining empty chairs, instead of separating, they simply changed positions. Soon, the leader of Justice had Bijou in her lap, and was combing her fingers through her hair. The short woman sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing against her.
Nerissa gave a low whistle, grinning at the two of them. “Well! You two are quite touchy-feely today! You’re doing good, Bijou?” While her tone was mostly casual... an undercurrent of concern was evident, everyone knowing how quickly prolonged contact could upset the Jewel of Emotions.
But the gem-girl nodded immediately, disuading such fears. “I’m great! We’ve been having such a great morning together!” She giggled, turning her head to kiss her lover on the cheek. “You know Liz wouldn’t let me force myself to do this if I was uncomfortable, too. She’s almost better at picking up on my moods than I am!”
Cheeks pinkening at this, the Scarlet Queen cleared her throat, looking slightly apologetic. “I’m sorry for taking so long, everyone. We were...” She paused, eyeing Shiori and Gigi in particular, before she just signed. “Okay - we were cuddling in bed and... maybe fell asleep and had to get ready again. Get all of your jokes out of the way now.”
Instead of doing that, The Archivist smiled, waving her off. “Ah, it’s fine. We’ve all been getting quality time in - no need to be ashamed of it.”
The gremlin nodded. “Today is special, too! We were having our fun waiting for you to come, but I promise there will be no making fun of you!” After a second... her expression became mischievous. “Not until after we’ve eaten, anyway.”
“Fantastic,” Liz commented dryly. However, while she tried to maintain an unamused expression... there was a sparkle in her eyes. It made Raora grin, her tail swishing happily. Their leader may get exasperated by them at times, but at the end of the day, she cared for all of them and their antics. She would even endure the endless rants of Shiori and Gigi just to see them enjoying themselves... despite the risk to her sanity.
While she would have loved to comment, though, she was admittedly starting to get a little peckish. So, she looked at the covered dish, smiling lightly. “In that case, we had best get eating, yeah? Show us what you’ve got, Shiori!”
The Scarlet Queen eyed her for basically admitting she wanted to see her get flustered. Still, she hummed and looked at the two bakers curiously. “I must say, I’m quite interested in seeing what you’ve made yourself... But I swear, if claws pop out that I need to smash again, you’re going to be banned from the kitchen for a month.”
Snorting, Shiori grinned and stood up, walking over to the platter. “Wow. So little faith in me! Do you actually think I’d do that on an important day like this?”
...When all she got were blank stares in response, she gave a mock wince. “Ouch... My reputation truly does precede me.” With another chuckle, she grabbed the top of the dish cover. “But there will be no fighting your food today, good madam! For in the words of a very famous queen from Earth-” In a swift motion, she revealed the prepared food. “‘-let them eat cake!’”
Raora and the others all gasped in amazement. As the words promised, there was a rather large cake presented for them. It was rectangular and fairly tall, covered in pink frosting of various shades. Darker variants were used to like the base and the top edges, while colors closer to red were used to make little flowers along the surface. From the scent, she could already tell it was strawberry and vanilla - not her favorite combo, but one that everyone there would enjoy nonetheless.
And, using thin, purple frosting... a message was written across the middle for them all: “To one year of Adventing Justice’s Love!” The letters were messy, with a few nearly looking like squiggles... but the love in the message was tangible enough to her.
Though, that did not mean it was not still corny. Cecilia openly giggled at it, giving the yapping duo a grin. “‘Adventing Justice’s love?’ I’m not even sure that makes sense! Were you guys that desperate for a pun?”
Shiori rolled her eyes, pointing over to her lover. “Blame her. I did most of the decorating - using magic, since my frosting skills are shit - but she insisted there had to be a written message.”
Gigi nodded, sticking her tongue out at the automaton. “ You’re just jealous that you weren’t given the chance to write it yourself. I’m a master wordsmith!”
The robotic-girl scoffed, but was still smiling. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was eyeing The Archivist with suspicion. “...Should I be concerned that the quote you used was from a queen who got executed by her subjects?”
“Figures you’d know royal history like that,” Shiori commented, before shaking her head. “But nah - I was just being funny. There is absolutely nothing dangerous about this cake! The worst I did was add a little magic powder to make the baking go faster. But that has no side effects... besides a small chance to make you speak backward for a minute or two at random times for a few hours. But again - small!”
...Raora blinked, not exactly off-put by that, but... Well, it would obviously be better if there was no chance of that happening. But this sort of thing was expected from the monochrome-haired woman at this point. In fact, if she ever made anything that was not at least a tad strange, then they would probably assume something was wrong with her!
Some of them had no reservations, though, as evidenced by Cecilia’s smile as she leaned closer to the table. “Well, as the resident automaton, and therefore immune to such magics in your food, I, for one, am quite eager to dig in!”
Fuwawa nodded in agreement, her tail wagging excitedly as she bounced on the couch. “Yeah! It smells so good, I can hardly contain myself! Please, give me a big slice!”
Mococo also nodded, her demeanor mirroring her twin’s. “Talking backward actually sounds cool! Give me a big slice to maximize my chances of that happening, too!”
Laughing, Shiori knelt and reached below into the small space under the table. From there, she produced many fancy plates and forks, along with a big knife for cutting it. “All you must do is ask! Just pick which section you want, and-”
She was cut off by Liz, who cleared her throat. She stood up slowly, with Bijou taking a place by her side. “Actually, before that, I... would like to say a few words, please. To mark the occasion.”
Gigi groaned in fake agitation, flopping back dramatically against her chair. “Aw, boooooo! You dare stand between me and the cake I worked so tirelessly to make! You monster! I demand my intake of sugar and sweetness!”
The Scarlet Queen rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I’ll make it brief - calm down.” She looked at the leader of Advent. “May I?”
Shiori shrugged, setting everything aside. “Go ahead. I was thinking about giving a speech, too, actually... But yours will probably be more concise. And won’t make everyone lose their appetites!”
Some chuckles went around at this. Then, the redhead took a deep breath, her posture straightening as her blue flame seemed to give off a more radiant glow. Her girlfriend took her hand, too, looking up at her expectantly. A hush, meanwhile, fell over everyone else, waiting to see what the woman had in mind.
After a few seconds, the leader of Justice began, her eyes sweeping over all of them. “My friends and teammates... I know I don’t need to explain to you the importance of what happened a year ago. It took the dedication and willpower of everyone here to make the breakout possible, and you all should be proud of yourselves for your contributions. It was thanks to your skills and the evidence we gathered that we not only broke all of Advent free, but revealed the honeyed lies of the gods for all the realms to see!
“As joyous as the occasion is, though... we should also recognize how lucky we truly are. None of it would have even happened if not for the gods assigning me and my teammates to The Cell. To this day, I know not why they selected us, for as powerful as we are, our morals were would and did cause great conflict upon learning the truth. Perhaps they thought little of the critical thinking of mortals.” A brief, slightly hollow laugh left her. “I... certainly cannot deny some of us were more blind than others to the strange happenings, too.”
Raora frowned, her cat ears twitching. Even after this long, her friend still tried to put most of the blame for them being deceived at first on her. It did not sit right with her, and glances at Gigi, Cecilia, and even the Advent members showed they agreed. But luckily, none of them had to say anything as Bijou looked at her lover softly, squeezing her hand.
Appearing to take a breath in response, the Scarlet Queen relaxed a little and continued, smiling softly. “But... despite some missteps, when faced with reality, we all worked hard to set things as right as possible. Turmoil rumbles through several realms from the revelations we sent out. And to my dearest friends in Advent, I know your journeys to recovery shall be long. Some wounds may even never heal...”
With another breath, she stood a little stronger, her smile growing toward all of them. “But I know we shall all continue to do our best as we go on into a brighter future. And I trust we shall all be vigilant for any similar injustices in the world happening from now on! We shall make it so that no one ever must experience the horrors such as were in The Cell ever again!” She nodded at everyone. “And I know together... nothing shall ever stand in our way from helping the innocent! So let us enjoy this vacation, so that we may be ready for the journey ahead!”
There was silence for a brief second. Then... Raora smiled widely, clapping her hands at her leader’s words. The others were not far behind her, all showing their appreciation. Some were more enthusiastic about it, with Gigi and Fuwamoco cheering as they did (or going “bau bau” in the latter’s case). Others were more polite and reserved, like Cecilia and Shiori.
But among them all... there was not a hint of sadness, despite the dark history that loomed over this day. There was only a sense of hope for what was to come.
Liz smiled a little shyly at the reception, giving a small bow. “Thank you. I... had more to say, but I didn’t want to make this too melodramatic.”
Bijou giggled, kissing her hand. “It was perfect, Liz. And... I can’t thank you enough personally. For all you’ve done for me.” She looked at the rest of Justice, her face beaming. “And all of you, just... Thank you for believing in us and giving us this chance. You’ve given us back our lives!”
Fuwawa smiled, snuggling up against Cecilia. “And given us love! Don’t forget that part.”
Mococo hummed, doing the same thing on the automaton’s other side. “There’s still more to give on that part! Which we are going to milk these next several days!”
Shiori smirked, giving a sultry Gigi. “Love isn’t the only thing we’re going to be milking, either...”
Nerissa chuckled. “Shiori, lay off a little bit. We don’t want to drive Liz or the twins off yet.” Her eyes then flickered to Raora... and proceeded to also smirk, licking her lips. “But you’re not wrong, either.~”
The panther-girl rolled her eyes, smiling teasingly. “I don’t think you’re the one who will be doing the milking there.”
A huff left Liz. “Okay - why are you all so... lewd today? Not that half of you aren’t normally, but it feels like you’re leaning heavily into it right now. Can we not aspire for more... ‘fluffy’ activities with those we love?”
...Looking up at her, Bijou smirked, her tone filled with painfully fake innocence. “Oh? Does that mean you don’t want me ‘touching’ you in bed if I offer it later?”
...Once the comment clicked, the Scarlet Queen’s face went as red as her title as she snapped her head toward her girlfriend, sputtering. “I-I... T-that... I wouldn’t- I mean I would! Or, no! What I’m trying to...”
Everyone else, the hellhounds included, burst out laughing at her plight. Shiori looked especially pleased, picking up her knife again. “Okay - just for that, Biboo, you get to pick the first slice! Tell me what part you want.”
The gem-girl picked out her piece of the cake quickly, with The Archivist putting it on a plate for her. After that, everyone went in a circle, getting slices of various shapes. Soon, Raora had her own plate in her lap, managing to snag a part with one of the frosting flowers. The fluffy white inside looked just as appealing as the outside, making her tail flicker in anticipation.
As she got her fork ready, though, she took one last look at everyone. Fuwawa and Mococo were shaking with delight with every bite, making happy noises as Cecilia quietly laughed between them. Gigi was practically scarfing down her piece, meanwhile, as Shiori egged her on while eating hers far more slowly. And Liz and Bijou, who were back to their previous sitting arrangement... were feeding each other their respective slices, smiling with faint blushes as they did so.
A throat cleared beside her, making her turn that way. Nerissa was smiling at her, enjoying her slice, too. “Well? Start eating up! I think Gigi wants to make us play some board games once we’ve had our fill, so let’s not keep her waiting.”
Nodding, the panther-girl finally tore off a chunk with her fork, then put it in her mouth. She hummed happily at the vanilla-strawberry taste in her mouth. It might not be her favorite cake flavor... but she swore it tasted even better today, thanks to everyone being there.
Her eyes drifted, though, to the documents she had been reading, left forgotten by her side. She took in the words, her eyes sharpening for a brief second. Things were not quite done with that whole fiasco, she knew. Once their vacation was done, or perhaps even sooner if there was an emergency, they would likely be doing more cleanup of the fallout of their exposure of The Cell. Plus... she did not believe for a second that the gods were done with Advent, and knew Liz agreed. There would be much work to do on both of those fronts once they were done here.
But as she sat there, eating cake and watching the others enjoy their slices... she felt that things would be fine. Like Liz had said, they would continue to work towards solving everything! And together... the nine of them would be able to face anything.
Advent had been greatly wronged, and their healing had only really just begun... But she was sure they would get better. And as cliche as it was... with the love they all felt, she believed they all would be okay. They just needed to keep going one step at a time...