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The suitcase was never quiet. From day one, Regulus was right there with Vertin, making sure not one moment went by without music, partying and yelling. As Team Timekeeper grows, that grows with it. Eagle and Sotheby alone make sure no day goes on without at least one explosion. Apple gets drunk and has long, loud arguments with Sir Roland, Ms. Radio, and surprisingly, Pickles. Tuesday and Jessica stalk at least one new person per day, usually to screaming results. Jiu and Kanjira try to start a business in the wilderness, Windsong and Medicine Pocket come asking for funding, Joe picks up a fight.
The suitcase was never quiet.
But there is one exception-
“S-Stop it Nala! That breaks at least four rules of our code of conduct!”
One calm, righteous ally..
“Sooo? Are you perhaps jeeealous, little puppy?”
One source of peace and quiet that muffles all outside noise-
“W-What?! Of course not, I’m just saying you shouldn’t behave like this!”
Or at least there used to be.
“And who’s going to stop me?~”
Sonetto shuts off, as she’s unsure of how to reply. She shouldn’t scale the situation further, but for days now, weeks even, the attrition between those two has disturbed the poet to a point of no return. She wants to welcome Kimberly, to be a good host and a model for what a Foundation worker should strive to be. But time and time again the succubus ignores her suggestions, breaks through her boundaries, and, most offensive of all, hogging the Timekeeper all to herself.
“U-Umn… I-I mean…”
This battle has lasted weeks, and this argument in specific is going on for hours, with no end in sight. But so far it was one versus one. To the shock of both, Vertin stands, breaking off their game of tug of war with her arms as she starts walking to her room.
“M-Master..?”
“Timekeeper I-”
They’re both interrupted, without getting a glance back.
“I wish one of you would just compromise.”
Slander from Nala is nothing for the emotionally almost-mature Sonetto. But this passing comment sinks her heart. She has faced the death of colleagues with a better grip on herself than this. Of course, this doesn’t go unnoticed by the succubus, as she goes for a final blow.
“Oh my, she really isn’t putting up with you, huh?”
Not met with a reply, she continues the relentless flurry of verbal violence.
“I would almost feel bad for you, puppy, but honestly, this is probably a looong time coming for Vertin. Ohhh I can only imagine for how long she’s been holding that insi-”
“This is YOUR FAULT.”
Against everything she believes in, Sonetto finds herself gripping the cut of Nala’s dress, down to her bodice, pulling on it, bringing the two centimeters apart. Sonetto knows she’s not being herself right now, but she can’t bring herself to stop it, as Nala grins, completely unphased.
“Oh my… I didn’t think you had it in you, puppy!”
“Don’t patronize me. You know very well what you’re doing.”
“Aww, those accusations are so harsh. I mean, even if I was actively plotting to make you look worse in front of the Master,”- she leans into Sonneto’s ear, whispering -“you couldn’t stop me.”
As her eyes drop low, allowing the succubus’ words to linger deep in her mind, Anjo Nala easily breaks out of the grip, and graciously spins back, casually remarking:
“Well unless…”
“U-Unless..?”
Nala doesn’t reply, simply staring back with a malicious pair of eyes.
“I-I… I know you are trying to make me do something I’ll regret, I won’t fall for it, now tell me, unless WHAT?”
“We could make a contract.”
Sonetto’s face instantly flushes. “W-What?! I’m not making a pact with you, I know how those are ma-”
“PFFT… Oh my, you really are a puppy. I didn’t mean that type of contract, dear Sonetto. My race is bound to a complex set of arcane rules, you know?”
“R-Right… so, what do you mean?”
“Well, there’s an ancient arcane way of solving disputes like the one we have.”
“Solving disputes… Do you mean a duel?!”
“No no no darling, that’s such a violent word!”- She’s incredibly expressive, really selling with her acting. -“Let’s call this… sparring with stakes, alright?”
Anjo Nala swears she can see Sonetto’s ears perk up.
“What stakes..?”
“Well, we do our little competition, and by the end of it, should you win, I promise I will never break another Fondue rule.”
“Foundation. And if I lose..?”
“Then you can’t scold me no more.”
Her eyes have a ruby colored glint to them, like the devil itself wanting you to say yes to their offer, she leans forward, closer and closer to Sonetto.
“Just say yes Sonetto.”
“W-What are the conditions of the duel?”
Nala sighs and puffs up her cheeks, her arms cross dramatically.
“Such a stickler to the very end. Ugh. Fine. Traditionally, those are to the death, but, something tells me neither you or Master will like that idea, so let's compromise a bit, shall we? We spar to the highest of our ability, with no limitations on what arcane skills we can use. First to give up or shed blood is officially the loser.”
Sonetto freezes, deep in thought. Nala is impressed she’s even come so far.
“Got cold feet, puppy?”
“Deal.”
No grin Anjo Nala made so far could come close to what she opens up hearing those words.
“It’s a contract.”- Her voice is sweet and seductive, she’s gotten everything she could want and more out of this -“Is 1am by the lake good for you, puppy?””
“I'll make sure you never call me that again.”
With that remark, Sonetto elegantly leaves, only to kneel out and lean to the nearest wall the second she’s out of the succubus view, breathing heavily as she assesses the situation.
“W-What have I done..? This isn’t like me at all.”
Disappointment looms over her, but it's unexpectedly shadowed by the fluttering she feels when she hears a familiar voice.
“What isn’t like you, Sonetto?”
“T-Timekeeper I…”
“I thought I should apologize for my comment from earlier. But I couldn’t find you in your room. Is this a bad time?”
The stoic, direct, monotone voice brings Sonetto’s best qualities, and her most repressed feelings at the same time.
“N-No I, in fact I think I could use some guidance.”
“Of course. What can I help you with?”
“I- a friend of mine is experiencing a difficult choice. She has to decide between standing by her values and not take action against a bully, or be brave and face it, but potentially break some of her own rules by doing that.”
“Well, you-” Vertin takes a deep breath. “Your friend should trust in herself. If she’s anything like you…”
Vertin offers the poet a hand, lifting her gently from the corner she tucked herself in and cupping her hand.
“She will find a way to face her demons and stand by her values, at the same time.”
The top-hatted figure has an innocent, blissful smile, letting go of her childhood friend and walking her own path without a word. Vertin isn’t worried. She trusts Sonetto more than anyone else on the planet. That carefree attitude isn’t lost on Sonetto. That confidence isn’t lost. She repeats her newfound mantra from there, all the way to the lake.
“I can do both.”
Arriving early as usual, Sonetto stares at the moon, perfectly reflected in the water, trying to ignore the reality of the situation. She’s no stranger to violence, but something about attacking what should be an ally, attempting to draw blood from them, still doesn’t sit right with her.
Her introspection is interrupted, as a casual, elongated “Howdy miss.” breaks the silence in her loneliness.
“Miss Argus?”
Her emerald green poncho is adorned in sequins, elegantly reflecting the full moon light.
“Kimberly here asked me to sit and watch.”- The cowgirl points behind her, the pale Anjo Nala arriving in her best pink gala dress, more akin to a concert than any duel. -“Can’t have you children going too far, can we?”
“Oh, if that’s the case, thank you for your service. I’ll do my best to honour the rules of this traditional arcane ritual.”
Sonetto approaches the two, standing by meadows in front of the lake, she pulls out her glass pen from her SPDM uniform and takes a deep breath as Nala stands in front, smirking.
“Alright kids one last time. No holding bars, no spells are banned, and we stop at the first drop of blood. Any attempt at taking more than that, you’re gonna be dealing with me. Do I make myself clear?”
Her unapologetically southern accent makes it hard to miss. The two nod, and Argus steps back.
“Righty then. Y’all can begin.”
Without wasting a moment, Anjo Nala makes a mad dash towards Sonetto. Her arms seemingly darken, and become hard to see, more akin to shadows that resemble the claws of a creature much bigger than her, she jumps towards her opponent and swings a claw, trying to end this in one fell swoop.
“Ugh-” Sonetto rolls to her side, losing almost all of her footing but dodging her attacker, not losing time to respond, she starts running, making up the distance as her penhand swings in the air, silver strokes of light are seen before shooting themselves towards Nala.
“Sempre caro mi fu quest'ermo colle!”
Beams of light shoot at the demon, but she swiftly dodges one after the other, always chasing her prey, closing the distance Sonetto worked to create.
“Are you afraid puppy?! Keep fleeing!”
In a blink, Anjo Nala is once again at Sonetto’s face, nails hack down at her direction like an axe, but to her surprise, Sonetto parries the attack with her pen, trapping Nala’s arm before kicking the succubus away. She seems shocked Sonetto even knows how to kick, let alone kick well, but that only entices her more.
“Good… good make me fight for it Sonetto! Your end draws ever closer.”
She jumps again, her pace is beastly, and the shadows make it hard to tell if she's even running on two feet or all fours. Anjo swings again, seeing how Sonetto doesn’t anticipate that attack, she confidently puts all her weight into it, attempting to pin the girl down.
“I’ll show you hell’s gat-”
“Regna sereno intenso ed infinito!”
The girl strokes again, but now her entire body glows a holy light. As the claws finch down her clothes, Nala doesn’t feel flesh, and a texture more akin to glass shattering.
“A-a protective spell?”
And to further Nala’s surprise, Sonetto comes to the offensive, swiftly slashing with her pen, which produces a burning light to the touch. Too many of those will definitely rip skin, and the demon is forced to defend, cornering herself with the lake behind her, her claws stuck on Sonetto’s spell, and the girl lifts her pen and swings it down in stabbing motion.
“One drop of blood… that’s all I need … ”.
Sonetto slows her lunge, aiming for the side of the neck, focusing on keeping Anjo Nala trapped, and not hitting any vital points. Her anticipation and hesitation add a few seconds to her finisher, and before she can notice, Nala finishes mumbling something, as her ruby eyes shine brighter, and a sudden wave of energy pushes her away.
“No restraint, feast upon this love, devour this passion, AWAKE.”
Sonetto can’t recognize the words to the chant, nor what to expect, but a stomach churning feeling downs upon her, a sense tells her to dodge, throwing herself to the side as she hears the deafening sound of a gun, the wind flying as shotgun shells hurled themselves just barely missing the girl.
She can barely assess the situation, but underneath Argus, lies a shining pink pentagram, and the older arcanist handles her shotgun one handed, her eyes shine the same crimson of Anjo Nala’s, no longer the emerald green she had before. She’s under control of the demon.
“H-Have you lost your mind?! We agreed to no killing!”
“Oh I’ll aim for the limbs darling, don’t you worry.”
The one replying is Argus, but the one willing those words is definitely the Succubus. She gets up again and a cluster of dark and pink energy forms around her palms. It’s jagged like a brutalist arrow, and she tosses it right at Sonetto, still in shock of the escalation, focusing on making more shields to protect herself from the bullets, stroking words as fast as she can as her arcane skill shoots back light beams, but they miss their mark every single time, never coming close to Anjo Nala. The cowgirl is being brutal. Controlling the perfect marksman, it seems Nala is at least trying to keep her word of not being lethal about it, but this is absurdly above the level of violence Sonetto was expecting.
More words, more beams, they all miss, as Sonetto runs through denser woods, trying to keep firing as much as she can, not ever coming close. Her heart pounds heavily. The echoing sound of the gun, the smell of gunpowder, the splinters flying from the trees obliterated by Anjo Nala’s ability, it’s all incredibly overwhelming, and Sonetto struggles to keep firing.
“You’re insane, this is too far!”
“Every. Single. Day.”
To each word, Anjo Nala relentlessly tosses her javelins at her target, breaking through the shields and trees she's using as cover, backing her into a corner more at every second.
“Every day since I arrived here you’ve been nothing but a nuisance to me, no matter how much I tried to befriend you, or adapt to your customs, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRY TO APPROACH HER YOU’RE ALWAYS THERE, YOU’RE ALWAYS NAGGING, YOU ARE ALL SHE TALKS ABOUT ALL THE GODDAMN TIME.”
One of the spears makes it through, pushing Sonetto down and pinning her to the floor, right by the lakeside. Nala slows down her pace, looming over her adversary one more time, she focuses her arcane energy in one last rapier.
“N-Nala I didn’t know you-”
“You never tried to.”
The spear is huge. Jagged and sharp, it looks like it could sink a ship, let alone kill a single arcanist. Sonetto closes her eyes.
“Any last words?”
Sonetto takes a deep breath, clinging onto her pen to the very end. She remembers the Timekeeper, and her trust.
“Each moment, now night. You should look at the sky, Anjo Nala…”
“I have more important things at the moment to care about at the moment, Puppy.”
“You really, really should look at the sky.”
She folds, giving a quick, disregarding glance to the side, until she's blinded by the amount of lights, reflecting in the lake. It doesn’t take more than a second for her to understand what happened.
“You sly-”
“Granata infernale!”
One single stroke with her barely moving hand is all it takes. Every single missed shot, collectively surrounding the rear of the demon. Her frenzy was such that she didn’t bother wondering the reason for Sonetto’s multiple missed shots. And with that last line of her poem, they all come crashing down at Anjo Nala, faster than she can try to finish the job, her back is already pierced by the light beams, a never ending stream of attacks stuns and slashes the demon as Sonetto slowly picks herself back up, graciously patting herself and checking on Argus, as the spell breaks loose and she slowly comes back to her senses.
By the time Nala is up, she approaches the two already in a tantrum, cussing Sonetto with every bad word from every language she’s learned, only stopping at the unexpected voice from behind.
“Nala, I don’t think this is appropriate language from a Foundation member.”
“M-Master?! What?”- Vertin smiles and approaches the trio. Her simple smile calms the two rivals, before she cups Nala’s cheek, inspecting the small, single incision that Sonetto’s technique ripped. A lone bead of blood rolled down the succubus’ face before the elegant Timekeeper wipes it off with a handkerchief.
“T-Timekeeper what are you doing here?! I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry about this, there is no excuse for what we’ve do-”
“Argus called me before the duel.”
Nala glares at the mercenary.
“If y’all think I’m letting you folks catfight at one in the morning without telling the boss y’all must be crazy. Besides, this one is always up to no good.”
She points at Nala before approaching her.
“And she has a looooot of explaining to do to me. Don’t she, Miss Kimberly?”
“U-Umn… I…”
Nala takes a few steps back but Argus promptly grabs her by the wrist.
“You ain’t going nowhere missy.”
Vertin giggles, before turning to Sonetto.
“You fought very well. I watched the whole thing.”
The poet blushes again, but an air of disapproval surrounds her.
“This whole endeavor was completely unreasonable… I should’ve never accepted this. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning I will report this incident and admit myself to another discipline course.”
Vertin only replies with a laugh, a hearty sigh before she dusts off and fixes Sonetto’s collar.
“You’re so cool, Sonetto.”
The simple, basic comment gets her red from feet to forehead, a sense of fulfillment completely overwhelming the overachiever in her. But as always, she doesn’t allow herself to indulge for long. Noticing Nala taking off with Argus, Sonetto rushes towards them. Met with crossed arms and rolling eyes, she sees Nala reluctantly entertain her.
“What? Come here to brag?”
“I was wondering if… you wanted to spend some time together soon.”
Nala’s head just tilts, poisoned in distrust.
“I want you to know me better. I want us to hit it off.”
There’s a pause. The prideful demon is trying her hardest to not let a word out, before she’s met with an elbow to her side by Argus.
“UGH, FINE, if you insist, I guess I have no choice.”
Even the redhead can see through that act, giggling in response.
“Hehe, thank you, Anjo Nala.”
The pair finally leaves. Sonetto was ready to do the same, but she notices a Timekeeper frozen in place, staring at the moon, perfectly reflected at the lake.
“Vertin..?”
“It’s beautiful… isn’t it Sonetto?”
The Timekeeper looks up at the sky, Sonetto down at their reflection.
“Yes.
Yes it is.”