On another note, my alert-thingy seems to be working quite erratically, since I don't get review alerts for every review. Consequently this probably applies to other alerts as well (story, message etc.) so if you've sent me something which I was supposed to reply to and haven't, it's not because I'm trying to be rude – the site does a splendid job at being that for me (grumbles unintelligibly).
So thank you all who read, thank you all who review, thanks to fanfiction. net (even though it can be aggravating at times) for running this outlet for our more or less creative thoughts, and thanks to the CC creator Daisuke Moriyama for coming up with characters that I like writing about (you know... they're actually his).
Enjoy.
Tales from the Confessional
By Shnoosh
Chapter 7 – Lust, Lust, (bunch of boring sins), and Lust.
"Forgive me father, for I have sinned."
It was the voice of a girl...
and not just any girl.
The voice happened to belong to a certain militia class exorcist, who had become quite infamous within the order. At first she was known as the blonde hothead who typically did more property damage than the demons she was supposed to protect the city from. After a while it became known that she had one of the most powerful demons in existence as her partner and – though nobody actually said so – suspected lapdog. Later still she became known for her crusade against – and eventually victory over – one who could have been dubbed the Antichrist himself. Even though she was still a teenage girl, her track record was indeed more remarkable than almost any within the history of the order.
"What did you destroy this time?"
The gentle voice, belonging to the priest, hinted of amusement. He was not just any priest either. Also a militia class exorcist he had probably completed more assignments, and turned more demons to worm food than any other single enforcer. Some might say that it was only natural since he had worked as an exorcist longer than any other – more than 50 years – but that did not change the fact that he still had the highest amount of solved cases almost every month. In his work and demeanor he was exactly opposite to girl in the confessional: Meticulous, thoughtful, and hardly ever without a plan. Furthermore he was nothing less than a certified angel. It was something which had been revealed to the order only recently, and it explained why he despite his age, still appeared just shy of thirty.
"HEY! Don't say it like that! I'm not always..." Rosette's words faded into silence, which in turn was broken by an annoyed muttering.
"Well..." She said after a little while. "Nothing big anyway... just some of sister Kate's teacups... I slipped when I tried to bring her some tea, and broke all the porcelain and spilled hot tea over her desk and her clothes and..."
The blond man raised an eyebrow – usually sister Kate didn't send militia to go fetch her tea.
"But I only did it because I wanted to be nice to her and apologize for the time I broke... arh dammit... can we skip the subject already?" The girl's voice had become increasingly irritated. "I didn't come here for that!"
Remington couldn't help smiling. "I said nothing."
"WELL, NO! I MEAN YES... no... I mean... you're still... arrgghhh..." Why the hell did she always get stuck in sentences she couldn't get out of?
Remington sighed. "Ok, so what are you here for?" Having had a bit of fun on the blonde's account, it was probably time to get to the point. "If..."
He just couldn't help himself.
"...it's not the destruction of other people's property."
Some things just never got old.
"HEY! QUIT SAYING THAT! I'm not doing it on purpose, I'm just a bit clumsy sometimes! OKAY? I don't see that being under the list of mortal sins!" With an exasperated huff she crossed her arms.
Several seconds passed in silence (or almost silence considering Rosette's grumbling) before Remington decided that enough was enough. "Alright... I''m just messing with you, so what's on your mind... really."
Letting out the breath she had involuntarily held inside the youth uttered a displeased grunt before beginning to talk. "Well... I..."
Pause.
"...I kinda..."
Another pause.
"...I stole something."
"Yes?"
"It was something the elder had invented, and it wasn't even finished when I took it, I just thought it could be fun to use." Her voice still held a gruff quality, and she sounded like she really just wanted to leave.
"Well, stealing is on the list of the Ten Commandments, so that was definitely wrong, and you will have to give it back you know." He paused for a bit wondering what she had stolen, but it was not his place to ask. "So what else?"
"Well... I..." Her response dragged out. "Nah... that's about it."
"That's it?"
"Yeah..."
The was a little rustling sound, a click, and the grate slid aside. Remington's face appeared in the little hole, looking at the teenage girl in the adjacent room. She looked almost frightened, resembling someone who had taken an incredibly wrong turn, and was now trying very hard to get back.
"Seriously..." The blond militia man said. "I know you better than that. You didn't come here only to say that you've stolen something out of Elder's lab, just as you didn't come here to tell me that you've broken sister Kate's tea set, so tell me: What's. On. Your. Mind?"
Rosette stared pleadingly at the one who used to be her guardian and mentor within the order. What was on her mind?
The words had cut straight through her, and right now his gaze appeared to do the exact same thing. He was as close to reading her thoughts as one could get without actually doing it. What was on her mind?
Even though she had practiced hiding her emotions most of her life, she could never hide them from him. What was on her mind?
"Chrno..."
Her head dropped.
"What about him?" The priest asked gently.
"It's just..." A lump began to form in her throat and her lower lip quivered. "He's beaten Aion's, so Joshua's been brought back; and he has gotten his horns back, so he's using his full form more now." A vision of the demon entered her mind, and she found she couldn't let it go again... over six foot tall, he literally towered over her now, his long violet hair dancing in the wind as he would casually take a leisure flight... his dark wings stretched majestically like a great bird, his horns glowing softly with an inner warmth, his tanned and toned torso glistening in the sunlight, covered with tiny droplets of water, because he had just come out of a dive into a nearby lake... God... they ought to make a law against looking like that... it was just too much for her to handle...
And he had even taken her out flying too – simply because he could.
Sometimes though he would revert to his child-form, and he would be as easy-going and gentle as he always had been. Except in the morning... that annoyed her to no end, and as soon as she came to her senses after another aggravating awakening she would start chasing him with the intent of grinding his scalp into oblivion... those chases always ended in laughter... or at least that was how she remembered them: A childish game of tag she would never grow out of, as long as she could play it with him...
"I'm scared..." A little droplet tried to creep out of the corner of her left eye.
"You're scared... why?" Remington asked in his usual comforting voice.
"Because Joshua's back, and that means I don't need him anymore!"
She bit her lower lip – a bit too hard maybe.
"And he's gotten his horns back so he doesn't really need me..."
Her militia outfit was hopelessly twisted in her hands. She envisioned the brass clock which lay back in her room – still and cold – she remembered the mixed feeling of relief and loss when it died.
"And the thought of that... it scares me..."
Her voice lowered.
"It scares me..."
Remington looked at the blonde teenager through the open grate. She had grown up a lot during these past four years, in body and spirit alike, and she had actually grown quite beautiful in both of them as well. But the events in her life had hardened her exterior, and usually she did whatever she could to hide her feelings from others. Now was not one of those times, and the fact that she opened up to him like this, was heartwarming.
"I want..." She raised her head again, her eyes were glazed and a little dreamy smile graced her lips – definitely not the usual Rosette in there. "I want to need him..." She looked at the priest like a child does when asking a father for guidance. "I want him to need me..."
Remington smiled. "You do know what you're saying, right?"
"I know..." Her gaze returned to her lap. "And I know it's probably a huge sin in the views of the order, and I don't even know if demons can feel that way, It's just... I can't help it... I don't think I would even want to, if I had a choice."
Rosette too a deep breath...
"I think..."
closed her eyes...
"I..."
And braced herself.
"...love him."
Hmm...
She actually liked the sound of that.
And she wanted to hear it again.
"I love..." Funny... having said it out loud one time "...Chrno." it was much easier to say it again. Almost as if she had crossed some personal barrier by acknowledging the fact to herself.
Remington viewed the girl for a couple of seconds, before he returned to his seat. "Well, I'm not going to tell you exactly how to deal with Chrno, but letting him know one way or the other would probably be a good way to start. You have to do that yourself though. As for the order... I'll help so you won't get any trouble from it. Chrno has proven that not all demons are alike, and maybe it's time to rethink how we deal with demons in general. Since it's fairly obvious that not even heaven knows God's intentions all the time, it should be possible to convince the board that humans don't either." He looked through the little hole again giving the girl a reassuring smile. "So if you take care of what you need to take care of, then I will do what I can to make it acceptable to the order."
"Thanks..." The words as well as his smile comforted her.
"You're welcome..."
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
A few minutes later the blonde militia stepped out of the confessional, and made her way out of the chapel. She had straightened her outfit and her hair, so she would look as normal as possible. She had confessed, and it had actually felt good to let it out.
But...
What...
Now?
How was she going to handle this?
How was she going to say it to him?
How would he react?
What if...
Rosette suddenly got very nervous, and she didn't even know if she had the courage to do what she wanted.
What if... he didn't?
What... if he couldn't?
Then again... what if he could?
What if he even did?
Her mind remembered the clock stopping.
What if he was beginning to think he wasn't needed anymore?
What if he was planning to leave because of that?
Or what if things became awkward between them if he knew how she felt but didn't feel the same?
What if he would leave if that happened?
A million different thoughts began rummaging through her brain, each one battling the other nine hundred ninety nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine to death, and it was giving her a throbbing headache. Rosette gripped her temples in a vain attempt to stop thinking, she felt like screaming but managed to hold it back... she was still only sixteen... it was too early to begin acting insane.
She paced around for a little while before making her way back to the girl's dorm – not the slightest bit closer to figuring out what to do or how to do it. Standing in the hallway, looking almost like they were waiting for her, was none other than three apostles of gossip. 'Great...'
Anna came up to her first, blue eyes glistening, burgundy hair dangling from side to side as she regarded her fellow sister with an expectant look. "Hi Rosette! How are you doing?" A big smile was plastered across her face.
What was all this about?
"Is it true? Is it true?" Mary was jumping fervently (and repeatedly) into the air, her head bopping up and down behind the red-haired girl.
"What?" Rosette asked
"What do you think? The announcement of course." Anna was clearly puzzled, that the honey-blonde sister showed no sign of comprehension.
"What announcement?" Rosette was getting as perplexed as Anna, and the two nuns started a glaring contest – each one scrutinizing the other's face intently: Rosette searching for a clue to what was going on, Anna searching for a breach in Rosette's mask of feigned ignorance.
It ended when Claire spoke.
"That you love Chrno."
"WHAT?" Rosette whirled to face the brunette. "NO! Why would..." She never finished the sentence before being rudely interrupted.
"I..."
By her own voice.
"...LOVE HIM."
Coming from the loudspeakers in the hallway.
"I LOVE..."
They were typically used during emergencies.
"...CHRNO."
And they were situated strategically so everyone within the dorm could hear them easily.
Rosette's conception of time slowed down to a crawl...
Then a bubble of nausea burst in her stomach, forcing her to swallow loudly in order not to hurl...
Immediately afterwards the world started spinning at a pace which would make any person pass out.
Unfortunately... she didn't.
'Crap...'
"That's the third time. I think it's grand way to announce your love to the world. I never thought you would do that." Anna said, looking triumphantly at the stunned blonde. "So when did you two start dating?"
'Crap!'
"I think it's really sweet, I'm really happy for you and I'm sure he's going to love the surprise..." Mary's eyes were full of excitement. "It was a surprise right?"
'CRAP!'
"He looked surprised when I saw him a few minutes ago." Claire said thoughtfully.
Rosette took off...
'CRAAAAAAAAP!'
Not knowing how to react she simply began running, getting as far away from the three gossipers as fast as she could.
"What was that about?" Anna asked curiously – the other two shrugged.
Rosette ran and ran, her legs moved as fast as physically possible – which wasn't very fast since some evil deity had decided to tie invisible blocks of concrete to her feet making her pace slow to an excruciating crawl. The same deity had also lengthened the hallway so it rivaled the Nile in distance and alerted every girl in the dorm of her presence. Everywhere there were eyes upon her, everyone was smiling, giggling, whistling at her, or in some other way making her extremely uncomfortable. The wave of nausea kept rising up inside her, a knot the size of a watermelon had formed in her stomach, and she had to fight to keep from crying openly.
This was a nightmare.
After what seemed like the time and effort it takes to climb Mount Everest, she finally found her little room. She hurried inside, shut the door and dived into her bed, hiding under the covers in an effort to block out the rest of the world. Her hands gripped and pulled her hair trying to replace the sickening feeling in her midsection with a more acceptable physical pain.
How did this happen?
'Oh... God...'
Someone must have taken Elder's device, recorded her confession with it, and broadcasted that particular part over the speakers.
'Oh... God!'
Which meant that everyone knew...
The knot tightened even more...
'Chrno knows...'
A horrible nightmare!
There was a soft knock on the door.
"GO AWAY!"
Shortly after there was a creaking sound, and the teen's anger rose for being ignored so blatantly – it rose to a level which would be very unhealthy to the person who had ignored her. If there was something which had ever managed to ease her discomfort, it was beating something up, and she would definitely make sure that whoever it was that had come in would be extremely sorry for...
"Rosette...?" The baritone voice immediately quelled her anger, and she sat up with a jolt, uncovering her head.
The knot tightened to the point of making her intestines explode, and her nausea increased to where she could almost feel the bitter taste of bile and acid worming its way up from her stomach.
Chrno stood in the doorway – in full form. His amber eyes were wide and radiating, his chest heaved, and his wings were folded along his back like a black cape. A thin film of sweat covered his body, and he seemed to have been in a hurry. "I've been looking for you... I was downtown... when I heard..."
Horrible...
"Chrno..." 'Oh God...'
"It's not..." 'Yes it is...'
"I mean..." 'What?'
"I don't..." 'Yes I do...'
"I just..." 'WHAT?'
"You're not..." 'Yes you are!'
"I didn't mean..." 'YES I DID!'
"It's just thammff..." '----------'
Her jumbled speech was stopped instantly by the softness of damp demon lips pressed against hers.
Chrno's right knee rested on the bed, his right hand held her head, his left arm was locked around her waist, and his torso pressed against her chest. Rosette became completely limp in his embrace, her arms hung powerless at her sides, a deep blush rose to her cheeks, and her eyelids refused to stay open. Before she knew what she was doing her mouth had opened, and her tongue had cautiously ventured out to meet his.
And the knot began to unwind...
Several seconds (too few for Rosette's taste actually) afterwards the sinner slowly released his hold over her lips. "You're babbling..." Fiery eyes walked over her face "...you always do that..." A gentle hand came up to brush a lock of gold away from her forehead. "...when you're nervous."
"Chrno... I..."
"Shhh... you already told me, and I'm here to tell you that the feeling is mutual."
"It is?" There was genuine surprise in her voice, and her eyes widened.
"How could it not be? You saved me..." He smiled – that brilliant smile, which reached all the way from his lips to his eyes – that smile which he didn't have until several years after getting out of the tomb – that smile she suddenly felt she had brought up in him. "...from everything."
"You really feel that way..." Now she smiled back. "...about me?"
"I do. I think I have for as long as I've known you."
"Ewwww... Chrno..." Rosette eyed the demon with a bit of (hard to muster) contempt. "I was twelve!"
Chrno couldn't help laughing. "Ha ha... that's not what I meant... I meant I have always loved your spirit, your optimism, your enthusiasm, the other things..." He returned his gaze towards hers, he didn't think he had ever seen so much warmth in her eyes before. "Well, I'm not exactly sure when they came along, but if you hadn't said anything I would never have told you."
Her hands reached for him and traveled playfully up his chest and over his shoulders, locking themselves together behind his neck. "Why?"
"I thought I might drive you away if you knew. I mean you are human... a sister even... literally a daughter of God... I never dreamed that you would be interested in the affections of a fallen demon, an outcast with no rank, shunned by heaven and hell alike and hated throughout the world."
"You know I'll never see you like that..." Rosette's wrapped her arms further around his neck. "...never..."
"I know that... I just couldn't believe..." His hold around her waist tightened, as he buried his face in the honey-colored hair, inhaling deeply. "I want you to know how grateful I am for you, and that there's nothing I won't do for you and..."
"Chrno..." The blonde interrupted. "If what you say is really true..." Her hands slid towards his temples and she gently pushed his head backwards giving her a clear view of his face. "Then why are you still only using your mouth to talk to me?" She shot him a smile which was instantly returned, dug her fingers into the purple tresses, "...come here..." and pulled him down onto the bed on top of her.
And as lips met yet again, the knot unwound completely, releasing a pleasant heat throughout her body.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
"You wanted to see me?" The blond minister asked as he entered the office.
"Yes, come in. There is something urgent which has come up." Sister Kate sat behind her desk looking as stalwart as ever. A strange box which Remington hadn't seen before lay before her amidst the many reports she spent her day reading through.
"Alright, what is it?" The priest asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Just take a seat." The head sister's voice was even and calm. She got up from her chair, and went towards the coffee table.
Ewan sat down and, being overcome by curiosity, began to examine the box. It was completely black with a few white buttons on the side, and some green ones on the face. "What's this," he asked after putting it down again.
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about." Kate poured herself a cup of tea. "Try and press the leftmost green button."
There was a 'click' from the box as he pressed the button. "Forgive me father, for I have Sinned." His eyes widened... It was sister Kate's voice... coming from the device. Realization dawned on him instantly. "It has been a month since my last confession."
"And what does your heart need forgiveness for?" That was his own voice... it was muffled, but there was no doubt... 'Oh... this... is not... good...'
"No the other left..." Sister Kate said rolling her eyes.
Dammit... how was he supposed to know which way the box was supposed to face? Turning it 180 degrees he pressed the green button which was now on the left. "Forgive me father, for I have sinned." This time it was Rosette's voice.
"What did you destroy this time?" Again his own voice... from todays confession... 'This is definitely... NOT! GOOD!'
"Fast forward if you don't mind..." Kate said calmly as she put down the pot again and drank a sip of her tea. "Just push the white button on the side with the arrow pointing upwards for a few seconds..."
With a pained expression Remington did as he was told, there was a click when he pressed the button, and another click when he released it a few seconds later.
"I..." Again this was Rosette's voice. "...love him"
And a third click – which made him jump a bit in his seat – coming from the door to the office being locked.
"I love..."
The footsteps behind him indicated sister Kate moving closer, they stopped before she passed him.
He could feel her gaze drilling into the back of his head...
"...Chrno."
"Ah yes. Rosette and Chrno..." Kate's voice was honeyed and dreamy, and it hovered ominously just inches away. "She happens to be quite smitten with him, but I guess you can't really blame her... what, with him always being there for her... always being honest with her... that sort of thing... girls tend to like that you know..." Remington sat completely paralyzed, as the matron sister lowered her head towards his left shoulder and spoke softly into his ear. "Nice bit of fatherly support you're giving her by the way..."
'I'm dead...'
"Thanks..." That was Rosette thanking him.
"You're welcome..." That was him responding.
And then there was a pause from the device...
A pause which lasted several seconds, a pause which should have been the end of the confession, a pause which had been the end of it if he had just...
"To tell you the truth it doesn't really come as a surprise to me, I've noticed how you've been acting, and I must admit I thought you would realize this sooner."
If he had just kept his BIG MOUTH SHUT!
"What do you mean?" Rosette sounded a bit startled and a bit irritated. "That I've been in love with Chrno, without realizing it myself?"
"Well... you have... haven't you...?"
"I might have... so what...?"
"Nothing... I'm just saying that it's good you've finally acknowledged you have feelings for him..."
Remington stared longingly through the window at the sunbathed courtyard outside... if just he could make a leap for it... perhaps go into hiding...
"Well excuse me for not being completely self confident or as fortunate as some people." Rosette's voice continued in an annoyed tone. "It's not like I've heard him confess that he wanted to make love to me!"
"WHAT?" Yup... that was his own voice from the accursed contraption... sounding very surprised...
"Now this..." Kate's syrupy voice had the quality of a velvet noose – a soft caressing touch indicating that it's just about to break your neck. "...is where it starts to get interesting."
"Oh... I'm... Uhm... hehe..." Rosette had obviously spoken without thinking at the time – something the recording device relayed quite accurately.
"What... did you just say?"
Ewan jumped in his seat at the sound of yet another 'click' coming from behind him... it was different than the others... this was the sound of a gun being loaded...
"It was just... arh crap... the thing I stole from Elder's lab... it was a sound recording device, and I happened to record a few confessions and one of them was about Sister Kate confessing... well... you know..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gods... he sounded so amazingly naïve... though at the time he had merely tested if she really knew...
"Oh come on..." And she had known. "...I know you pretty well too, and I can tell if it's your voice or not – even when you try to fake another's. I'm surprised that Kate never noticed during the confession, and considering how she's been acting all different lately, I'd say someone has taken advantage of a bit of knowledge."
Another excruciating pause from the recording device... The minister's expression turned to one of pure agony... why the hell did there have to be SO MANY PAUSES?
He felt something cold and hard brushing against the left side of his neck... metal...
He cast a fearful glance towards shoulder...
Yup.
Kate's personal demon-slaying six-shooter. With a bit longer barrel than practically any other revolver out there, firing a bit higher caliber bullets at a bit greater muzzle velocity... an already heavy hand cannon tweaked by the elder for that extra bit of 'you're history sucker'.
"Who has heard this?" His own voice said coming from the treacherous device.
"Just me and Chrno, and I don't even think he knows who the priest is... even though he's got superhuman hearing he can be remarkably easy to fool sometimes."
"And the recording?"
The blond man closed his eyes and grit his teeth painfully, as the muzzle of Kate's gun traveled gently across the back of his neck, sending icy spikes down his spine. 'I'm gonna die... divine immortality my angel-haired ass... she's gonna kill me...'
"I still have it."
"I might need to see that before you deliver it back... or maybe it's best if the thing disappeared entirely."
Kate was now standing directly in front of him... the priest squirmed in his seat and directed his eyes down towards the recording device...
"Yeah... I was kinda thinking the same thing... it's getting a bit dangerous..."
Ewan felt the steel barrel beneath his chin... lifting his head upwards... forcing him to meet her gaze...
"I trust this stays within these walls..."
The matron sister regarded him with a steely look in her eyes. All he was able to offer in return was an apologetic smile, which must have looked incredibly feeble.
"Yeah..."
Suddenly she stomped one foot up on the chair.
WHOA...
right between his legs.
Dangerously close to something precious... he shifted agonizingly in his seat as the shoe threatened to squash his nobler parts... Kate leaned forward resting her upper body on her knee...
"So what about prayers...?" Rosette had asked this on her way out of the confessional.
The head sister tilted her head a bit sideways, the soft, indulgent expression on her face reeked of viciousness. The gun brushed leisurely across his chin making small tickling movements which caused cold sweat to trickle down his temple...
"Ah to hell with them... he's got a machine taking all those prayers anyway..." At that time he and Rosette had shaken hands, a mutual understanding between them that it was best for both of them to keep this to themselves...
Ewan closed his eyes and braced for impact...
"You can stop it now..." Kate said with the same frighteningly sugared tone in her voice... he felt her breath coming closer... The shoe between his legs pushed forward forcefully and his eyes shot open in pain...
'Auuw...'
The terrified exorcist did as he was told, and pushed the button which had started this 'confession'.
"So... I believe you have something to confess... but since you so clearly stated that God does not listen to the prayers it wouldn't really matter to asks for his forgiveness, now would it?" With a little smile she gently grabbed his chin pulling his head so close that their noses almost touched... lowered the gun so it pointed directly at his crotch...
and pulled the trigger...
'CLICK'
Ewan jumped in his seat again... his breathing had quickened considerably, blue eyes were wild and frantic, and a drop of sweat landed on his thigh...
"That..."
Kate cocked the revolver once again... 'click'
"...was a blank..."
stroked his chin affectionately with one finger,
"...the next one..."
and pushed the weapon further down,
"...is a modified gospel."
so the priest without a doubt could feel where it was pointing.
'Dear God...'
"Which means that you are now going to beg me for forgiveness... and you'd better make damn sure I will like what I'm going to hear... my little angel."
'...mercy...'
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Rosette snuggled closer into the embrace of her demon... boyfriend...? Lover...? Arh to hell with what it was called... he was her Chrno now and that was all that mattered. She was in a world encircled in his embrace, dominated by his smell and overpowered by his touch – right where she wanted to be. She buried her face in his neck laying open-mouthed kisses there to taste even more of him. The feel of his hands on her body – even though they were outside her militia outfit – was something she could not get enough of.
"You know," the sinner said after a while."We're going to have to deal with sister Kate at some point."
Rosette scooted a bit backwards looking directly into the gentle fires of his irises, her hands dived into his hair again – she loved that feeling. "Yeah... but let's not worry about that right now... besides father Remington told me that he'd put in a good word for you."
"Really?" Chrno put on a curious expression "And when did he tell you that?"
"Today... at confession." Her thoughts suddenly went to her confession... if somebody had taped it Remington would have his hands full, and Kate might have a few things on her mind if she got a hold it – something told her that she would.
She began giggling.
"What's so funny?"
"I just realized that sister Kate might have more pressing concerns than us right now." She smiled and dug her fingers a bit deeper. Even though his hair still felt smooth to the touch, it had become quite unruly. "I've messed up your hair."
"So you have." Crimson eyes turned upwards, as if he was attempting to look at it.
"I can braid it if you'd like."
"I would." He smiled.
Rosette sat up in the bed, and straightened her clothes, motioning for the demon to sit up as well. As she was about to start braiding she suddenly became aware that her previous nausea and stress had left a large hole in her stomach.
"Chrno...?" She asked in a singsong voice wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
Now there was a tone he'd never heard her use before. With suspicion in his eyes the demon turned his head to look at his former contractor. "Yes?"
"I'm actually really hungry... do you want to fetch some ice cream from downtown?" She had put on her most persuasive expression regarding him with big blue puppy eyes.
Chrno made a skeptical smile. "So now I'm supposed to be your errand boy as well?"
Rosette pouted. "Well, you did say there was nothing you wouldn't do for me... but if you won't even do such a little thing..." She let out an unmistakably fake sigh. "Then I simply don't see how I can trust anything you say to me..."
"Uh..." Chrno's went wide... did she just?
"Eh..." His jaw sagged.
"Uhm..." Had he really no response to counter hers?
Nope...
None whatsoever.
A big smile began to spread on the blonde sister's face when her victory was a fact. "I'd like some pistachio and vanilla and oh... I've heard about this new flavor with chocolate ice cream which has marshmallows and nuts in it... if you can find some of that it'll be great." Her voice was eager with enthusiasm.
"And my hair?" He had actually been looking forward to getting his hair braided. It was something she hadn't done ever since he had gotten his horns back, and he really liked when she did it.
"When you get back."
"You do know..." Chrno muttered with obvious – albeit not entirely sincere – displeasure. "...that you are the incarnation of evil, right?"
"Mm-hmm." Rosette responded giving him a quick kiss. "But I'm your incarnation of evil."
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
"So what is that?" Azmaria was sitting – legs dangling over the edge of the table – next to a very strange looking box.
The thingamajig was approximately six inches long, four inches wide, and three inches tall. It had a tube on one of the shorter sides with a round glass lens at the end, another small rectangular piece of glass on the opposite side, and an incredible amount of buttons spread on the two remaining sides. The inside was cramped with all sorts of electronic stuff which the young apostle had no names for, and her eyes were wide with childish curiosity.
"This..." The elder put the lid on top of the box, hiding the internals of the gadget from view. "Is a wondrous machine." He grabbed a screwdriver fastening the lid carefully. "It can take pictures... many pictures..." Finishing with the screwdriver he gently patted the device, as if it was a newly acquired pet.
"Oh..." Azmaria continued. "How many?"
The Elder looked at the girl. "Many... twenty-five every second." His mouth widened into a big grin. "All in color and good quality... and it can record sound as well."
"Wow!" Azmaria exclaimed. "You mean that it's just like..."
"A motion picture... exactly." He let his hand glide lovingly over the box. "Did you give the thing to Kate?"
"Yes I did."
"Good girl..." The Elder said with a pleased expression. "Here, you've earned it." He handed her three one-dollar bills.
"Wow... thanks." She hadn't expected that much... what was she going to do with all this money? Maybe buy something for Rosette or Chrno... or maybe... something nice for herself... perhaps Rosette's brother Joshua would want to go with her to town so she wouldn't have to go alone...
Pocketing her new wealth, the girl jumped down from the table, and made it for the door – her head filled with all the nice things she could get for three dollars.
The Elder smiled as the apostle left. She was still just a young girl and it didn't take that much to make her happy, and of course she had no idea what she had been a part of by delivering the recording device to sister Kate. He had been a bit surprised when she had shown up with his wayward invention explaining how sorry she was that Rosette had snatched it and what she had been using it for. Soon after he got the idea to record the blonde's own confession as she had done with others... if nothing else then just to teach her a lesson.
The double-confession he had captured however provided a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The broadcasting and subsequent delivery of the device to sister Kate should definitely shake things up within the order. First of all Rosette and Chrno could no longer ignore what was pretty much plain to everyone. And secondly sister Kate would find out a few things about Remington... although he had no doubt that she would find it in her heart to 'forgive' the priest, making for a more healthy relationship between the two highest ranking people of the New York branch.
Yes things around here were bound to become VERY interesting now.
Twenty-five pictures every second...
He smiled as he regarded his newest work affectionately.
...in full color, good quality, and with added sound...
Humming a merry little melody, he began making the final touches to the combined goggles/earphones required to make use of the recordings-to-come, ensuring that they too were in perfect working order.
As the old inventor again got caught up in his work, the sun crept out from behind a white cloud, illuminating the otherwise dark and stuffy workshop, making it appear almost inviting to strangers.
It's gonna be a bright,
Not much light entered into sister Kate's office though – the curtains were tightly shut.
bright,
Same could be said about Rosette's room where the window and drapes had been closed shortly after a purple haired demon had flown inside with a grocery bag in hand.
bright,
A number of people – including perhaps the two apostles who were on their way downtown – would claim that it was a shame to stay inside, since the weather today was really beautiful, with a clear blue sky, a few cotton clouds, very little wind, and just the right temperature.
bright,
Sometimes however, sunshine doesn't have to come from the sky.
sunshiny day...
THE END.
There you have it... a bit of angst... bit of fluff... bit of humor... and an all around happy ending where Chrno and Rosette get each other, Kate gets some truths about Remington, Remington gets (well... you figure that one out for yourself), Azmaria and Joshua get money to go shopping, and Elder gets access to homemade porn. Now doesn't that just make you feel all warm and tingly inside?
On the downside this means that I've officially finished the story which is my primary review source (sad face). But I'm not done writing just yet, and you're welcome to follow my other stories. You know what they say: The more readers, the merrier the writer (or something like that :-) ).
Oh... and Rocky Road ice cream was allegedly invented in 1929 in California... don't say Rosette haven't gotten her antennas out when it comes to food.