I popped my neck and collapsed into one of the chairs left in the cafe, debriefing had taken ages. There'd been more bombings around section 247 and the sections close by. None as big as the one that wrecked our base, but big enough to displace people and destroy local businesses. We'd worked so hard to get people to move back into the area, and now they'd just gotten blown up for it... It wasn't fair, to them or us. No matter what we did now, we'd be back to the shitty, mostly abandoned section with no people in it. They'd even blown up my favorite pizza restaurant, and the cafe I went to on patrol, and even the corner store down the street too. Knowing Willa was pulling the strings, it felt petty, like she had targeted places she knew we visited often. She probably had, actually.
We'd explained our side of things to the officers, or at least, our 'side' of things, with heavy editing and careful storytelling to avoid any repercussions, and luckily our story had lined up with what other people had said too. Somehow, we'd even manage to pin the deaths of the puppeted people on the GGDS, claiming it was their fault for not explaining how The MasterMinder's tech had worked last time we'd fought him, leading to us acting on false assumptions. Sera was currently upstairs trying to smuggle the weird lady out to her house to hide her, and I was just trying to focus on my feelings and emotions.
I'd put my friends upstairs in the rec room, which was mostly undamaged, and I'd put an upside down plastic container over them so nothing would get to them before I could figure out how to contact Lorgiaia. I'd find a way to keep them on my person later, I didn't want them to just be locked up like Homicide. They deserved better than that, and I wanted to keep my promise to Alele and let her still experience life while she was transformed, even if it was just for a day or two.
I wasn't nearly as tired as I'd expected, I had a sense of calmness, a peaceful control that I'd missed, a feeling of tranquility. I wasn't even craving sweets, the ever-present pull for me to consume had subsided, and I was finally sated. I felt like a normal person again for the first time in months, and I felt so, so powerful.
I needed to make a habit of this, of eating people. I wasn't sure it was a good idea to tell the public I was eating people yet, I had been fully prepared to before, but with my new, clearer thoughts, I still wanted to make sure my plan worked out. I needed to make sure my identities were fully merged and I was loved by all first. The GGDS rep I'd told I was actually Angel Rouge and Comfit had been angry, and told me I'd need to re-visit the GGDS offices to process the change in status, but he hadn't implied I was in trouble, per say.
Ravel climbed up on the table in front of me and sat down, folding her legs and looking up at me worriedly. "Do you think they'll try and arrest me and the others from the safe house?"
"I don't think so, no." I said "You were very helpful, and aside from the jailbreak, I don't think you were wanted for anything other than being a soul jar, right?"
"I guess." she said, laying down "Hey, you really think you can change the girls back? I'd really looked forward to playing games with Drizti more, and like, it's fucked up she's a cookie or whatever. It's kinda horrible to think about..."
"She's a lollipop, Galorna is the cookie." I said "I'll turn them back, we just need to get everything under control first, and then set up a meeting with Lorgiaia."
"How long will that take?" she asked
"Well, we should be done cleaning up the wreckage by tomorrow, and we'll need to help the people who were hurt or lost their places of work, so I can try to contact her tomorrow afternoon, I hope."
"...I hope so too." she said "Fuck, I feel so out of my depth, I thought I was doing ok, holding my own in a world of superheroes and magic, then everything falls apart and I'm totally lost and scared, like, fuck..."
"It's ok." I smiled "If I wasn't feeling so peaceful from eating Willa, I'd be freaking out too."
"So she's messing with your emotions and stuff too?" Ravel asked, "Ugh, I feel like everything you eat does that. You get squishy when you eat regular sweets, the worms make you high, people-food mellows you out and mutes you..."
"I'm not muted, I'm just..." I thought about it, "I'm in control."
"In control of what?" a new voice asked, and I looked up to see Kiri and Chrissie standing over the table, Pendra wrapped around Chrissie's neck and eyeing me with careful distain. Chrissie's eyes traced over my costume and widened in shock. Fuck, right, she knew both Comfit and Candy as different people, I'd forgotten she didn't know yet. It was out of the bag now though, no sense in hiding it.
I waved for them to sit down and shrugged "I just got... a better grip on my powers. I'm not as fucky as I was before."
"Lang-" Chrissie started automatically, but withered under my quick glare.
"Oh! Does that mean you can touch people now?" Kiri asked, leaning forward
I became acutely aware of my bare skin and leaned back "Absolutely not. I gained better control by using my power, it's... yeah, don't touch me."
"Is bad to tuch yu?" Pendra asked "Should go away then."
"Pendra, baby, don't be rude, this is her house." Crissie scolded her "Uh, but maybe you should wear some gloves, Candy."
"Comfit, actually." I corrected her "I'm dropping all names but that one, it's easier. Tell me, is 'Queen Comfit' better? Or should I go with 'Empress Comfit'?"
"I- neither?" Chrissie said, frowning "I- I'm still getting used to the idea that you lied to me all that time about being Comfit... I mean, it makes sense, I assumed Comfit was someone I knew because of how carefully you hid your identity, I just never thought it would be you of all people."
"I helped your causes!" I said "I was working hard!"
"Yeah, but it never feels good to be lied to." Kiri said "We thought you were two different people for weeks!"
"Is that why Gemia got all weird when she saw you at the safe house?" Chrissie asked
"Yeah, she smelled me out." I sighed "Anyway, where is the little brat? Or, actually, where's the rest of your entire team?"
"Mourner is still unconscious." Kiri said sadly "Ryllis is hurt, but is at the hospital trying to repair Dahl and Maud. We have no idea where Gemia ran off too, and NK is currently in a metal drum in our base."
"What about Tipsy?" Ravel asked sitting up "Are they ok?"
"They're hiding under Dahlia's bed and won't come out." Chrissie shook her head "I think they want to see you, though."
"Is very scare, won' talk t' me, jus crie..." Pendra nodded
"Hm... I see." I frowned "Well, at least no one died."
"What about your team?" Kiri asked, looking around "I... haven't seen any of them all day."
"..." I looked at the other girls and then at Ravel. Ravel looked at the table and pulled her legs up to her chest, not engaging with me.
"Oh, gods, are- are they?..." Chrissie gasped, her hands gripping the table
"No, they're- mm." I said, wincing "I can get them back, but they're legally dead, for now."
"What do you mean, 'get them back'?" Kiri asked carefully
"I mean I touched them, I used my power on them." I said, a distant pang of fear welling up for some reason "Alele was being controlled, and Willa- the bad guy- used me folding her to make the other Angels attack me."
"The power that kills instantly?..." Kiri's face was pale "Can- Comfit, what did you do?!"
"It doesn't kill kill." I said "It turns people into sweets. I'm going to get my goddess to turn them back."
"Ew..." Chrissie shook her head "That's awful, I hope they turn back fast..."
"Me too." I nodded "I'm going to wait until everything is finished here, then tomorrow I'll find my boss and see about contacting her."
"How can I help?" Kiri asked "Is there anything that needs doing?"
"Uh, maybe just head back to your base?" I shrugged "We don't know how many injured or displaced people there are, it'd be nice to have a non-blown up location to sent them to for the night."
She nodded "Got it, just direct them my way, I'll talk to the GGDS about getting water and blankets and stuff."
She flagged down an agent and walked over to discuss things with him as I sighed and sat back in my seat, cupping my hand around Ravel and rubbing my thumb on her shoulder. She wiggled uncomfortably, but didn't indicate that I should stop, so I left my hand there.
"I could call up the other groups?" Chrissie offered "I have service now, I could get the SNCL out here to give a hand. Cleaning up Chosen messes is pretty aligned with our values."
I raised an eyebrow "This wasn't a Chosen thing. Willa was a normal baseline human."
"Well, she was trying to fight Chosen." Chrissie shrugged "It's a Chosen's fault either way."
"Are you trying to blame me for the bombings and deaths?!" I shot back, anger flaring up
She winced "Ah, hm. No, I'm not, I guess. Sorry."
"Stop squeezing." Ravel muttered, and I looked down to see my fist clenched around her. I slid my hand back and under the table and muttered an apology.
"Did you actually believe the stuff you marched for?" Chrissie asked "As Comfit?"
"That's a topic change." I said "Yeah, I did."
"She believed in it, she just didn't care as much as she made it seem." Ravel said "She... kinda was apathetic towards it a lot."
"Ravel, no!" I said, hurt "I cared!"
"No, I get what she means." Chrissie said "I just wanted confirmation. I understand."
I groaned "I don't know what there is to understand..."
"Candy!" a gruff voice called out "Thank the gods you're alright!"
I looked up and my face broke into a smile as Oori ran up to us "Oh! You're ok! I didn't see you around here earlier, I was worried."
He looked rough, his head was scratched, his sunglasses were missing, showing piercing green eyes, his suit was down one sleeve, and there was blood running down one of his hands, but he was alive.
"I am ok, I was out at breakfast when the bombs started going off." he said "I was attacked by the mind controlled people, but I held my own well enough. Where are the rest of the girls?"
"They're upstairs." I said "I... They attacked me, I had to use my power on them."
He froze, and swallowed hard "Your power?"
I nodded "Yes, I was going to talk to Lorgiaia about turning them back after we cleaned up the-"
"No." he said "No, we need to do that now."
"I'm not sure how to contact her, can we-?"
"Come on, upstairs, we should have the summoning tools we need." he said, his face pinched "She'll come for this, she has to."
I felt a chill at his response, but I held out my arm for Ravel to climb up to my shoulder, and we followed him to the stairwell. I glanced back at Chrissie following along and tilted my head at her, confused.
"I've never seen a god in person before." she said defensively, "I figure I need to know what I'm dealing with if I'm going to be a champion of the unchosen."
"Just, please, don't say anything." Oori told her grimly as we walked into the kitchen area of the common floor, "She's kind, but we need her to be focused on turning the girls back as long as we have her attention."
I brought Chrissie to the rec room as Oori crossed the den to the conference room to pick up the supplies, and I briefly wondered if the collapse of the conference table had disrupted the materials, but if that were the case, we could just get more from the church, surely. I waved at the lounge chair for Chrissie and Pendra to sit on, and carefully lifted the container I'd put over the sweets. They looked exactly as I'd left them, all in one piece, all in a row. I spread them out on the pool table, far enough apart so they wouldn't knock into each other when they turned back.
"Oh, those are the other Angels?..." Chrissie said "Gods, they're so... small and still."
"This is Alele." I said, pointing to the mint "And this is Galorna, Lucy, and Drizti."
"I don't think I met Lucy outside the fight we had, but the others I really liked..." Chrissie said sadly "Are they like, freaking out?"
I traced my finger over them and felt the sparks jittering "They've calmed down, I think they know I'm about to turn them back."
"Hopefully about to turn them back." Oori said, lugging in a box of items, "We still need to talk to her about it."
I felt that pang of fear through my body as doubt set in, and I suppressed a shiver. It'd work, if it didn't work, that meant I'd made a mistake, and that couldn't be true, I did the only thing I could, I did the best option, if it didn't work, something was deeply wrong.
"How long does the ritual take?" Ravel asked Oori
He glanced up at her as he put a round bowl on the snack table and began pouring blue water into it "Not long, I need to draw the symbols and add the flowers to the water, and I'll be able to contact her in a couple minutes."
I pulled Ravel off my shoulder and hugged her to my chest, closing my eyes to think about the girls turning back. They'd be ok, I trusted Lorgiaia.
"Comfit, I think you stained Ravel doing that..." Chrissie said
"Is got yummy all over her." Pendra pointed
I glanced down at Ravel, and she nodded "Y-yeah, you keep getting blood on me when you grab me like that. I'm cloth, I stain you know."
"I can... use peroxide on you, I think." I said "I'm sorry, I just need to hug someone and you're the only one who doesn't turn when we touch."
"I understand, but the grabbing makes me feel infantilized, I don't-" she was cut off by Oori clapping his hands
"Ok, places people. Ravel, Chrissie, I need you to be quiet, please. Not a word, ok?" he said sternly
At their nods, I put Ravel on the sofa with the others and stood politely next to Oori as he held out his hands. The bowl glowed and the charcoal symbols turned blue, and I was hit with a sensation of pressure, the room suddenly feeling too small. A ball of light rose up out of the water and spiraled out into a familiar, stocky, six armed woman without a face. My throat caught and I was suddenly aware of how close I was to her. I took a breath and bowed.
"Oh, goddess Lorgiaia, I beg you for your help." I said, my eyes pointed at the ground.
A laugh like bells filled my mind, and two of her hands touched my face, the taste of candied flower petals flitting across my tongue. She lifted my face, and I stared into the swirl of flowers that made up her head, shaking under her direct focus.
"You've found your power helpful at last, Angel Rouge." she said gently "Whatever could you need help with?"
"I'm- I'd like to be called Comfit now." I said "It's important, but no! I- I folded the wrong people! I need them to be changed back!"
"Comfit?" she asked "Your secret name instead of the one I chose, how... headstrong. Very well, Comfit, I will rename you within the church. You prefer this costume to the one I picked?"
"N-no, well, th-this one got more followers, but-"
"Ah! We shall keep it then!" she smiled knowingly "I will make this your default costume. All fixed up and bloodless of course, I don't want my girls looking like barbarians after all." she fluttered her face in amusement.
"That's just it, I folded the other girls!" I said "I'm the only one left! I need you to change them back, please! I can't figure out how!"
"Oh?" she asked "And where are they?"
"Behind you!" I pointed "Please, I love them, I need them, I can't do this myself!"
She turned and her gaze alighted on the four sweets on the table, and she made a noise of interest "I see you've gotten the hang of the power very well! Their souls are fully ensconced!"
"Thank you, I promise to use my power lots and lots from now on, I even ate someone earlier, but I need my friends back, please..." I begged her
She looked back to me and reached out a hand, poking my chest "Comfit, these powers I gave you are your own, you and you alone control them."
"What does that mean?" I asked
"It means I don't have a connection to these sweets." she said "I have no power over them."
"B-but someone told me I had 'stable transformations', I'm not powering them myself, so it has to be you, right? They need the power from somewhere!" I asked, my heart beginning to race
Her arms found me and drew me into her chest "Oh, Comfit... No, I'm not using any power to keep them transformed, and I can't try to undo your power without unraveling you in the process."
"Then do it!" I said, "Unravel me! I'm just one person! They're four people, unravel me, please! I love them!"
I felt the tears prick my eyes and my body begin to shake, I needed them to be ok, I didn't care if I got 'unraveled' in the process whatever that meant, I needed them, I had to have them, I wanted them, I had to- I wanted to- I just- I needed them.
"Hm... Lorgiaia tapped her lips "Now, I if I remember the report I received a few hours ago, Alele was the second most popular of my Chosen at forty five thousand followers, right?"
"I- yeah, that's so many!" I said, tears running down my face "You'd lose all that if you don't turn them back!"
"Ah, but to turn them back myself, I'd need to unravel you, and across your two accounts you have over two hundred and fifty thousand followers."
"I- you're- uhg!" I blinked in shock, ice filling my chest "You're letting them suffer because of my popularity?!"
"I'm sorry Comfit, but you of all people should understand, your own drive for popularity and growth aligns so well with my own!" she rubbed my head "You have to know, the popularity of my church is the most important thing to consider. I tried something risky and chose a wide variety of women because of my husband, but you were my personal choice, I picked you out with no input from anyone else."
"Then please, do me this one favor and turn my friends back to normal!" I yelled, my tears turning angry "You're being a psychopath!"
"I'm a goddess." she said quietly "I don't adhere to mortal ideas, and as my Chosen, neither should you. I recommend eating them, you'll get stronger from it, and it will release them back into Samsara."
"No, no, wait, um." I wracked my brain for a solution, "You just said, I have two hundred and fifty thousand followers! Surely that's enough to be re-blessed as Angel! You could give me the power to change them back myself!"
"No." she said, her voice sounding like a mother admonishing a child "Despite you being my favorite, you still killed the rest of your team. I won't reward that by making you Angel."
"But- but..." my world was falling apart, and I dropped to my knees "No, I need them, I can't do this alone..."
"I understand." Lorgiaia ran her hands through my hair "I'll allow you to bring four new people onto a team, I won't bless them with full powers to become Chosen right now, but I will grant them legal status as Chosen. Choose well, and I may give them powers too, eventually."
"I- that's not what I mean..." I whimpered
"Of course, I'll also authorize you to hire minions to work for you, with amnesty for past crimes. Do not abuse this! But minions are nice, aren't they?"
"I don't need minions, I'm a hero!" I sobbed "I need my friends!"
"Oh, Comfit..." she said sadly "You've killed over a dozen people today alone without hesitation, do you really still see yourself as a hero?"
"Th-those people were bad guys!" I protested "Y-you're a good goddess, I can't be a villain and work for you!"
"Not a villain, just a rogue." she said "You'll be taking care of problem Chosen from now on, not doing silly little patrols and poking petty crooks. Comfit's little announcement of being an independent was very helpful, you can go all over the city now! I want you to root out the evils of Valley City, and if you can, I want you to seize the assets of the people you eat."
"This is about my friends not your long term plans!" I shook my head "How do I get them back?"
"I've already taken the liberty of sending in the paperwork for you killing Willa and Homicide," she said proudly "you're now the owner of the Petit Fleur!"
"You're not listening, I don't need a fucking restaurant, I need you to tell me how to turn my friends back!"
"I do ever so hope you'll do well!" she smiled at me "Those fake heroes you're friends with can take over patrols in your section, you just focus on hunting Fallen, and I'm sure your popularity will continue to rise!"
I screamed and swung at her, my fist slamming into her soft flesh and not moving an inch. I let out a sob, and I let myself fall over onto the floor, curled up in a ball, my body shaking. I shouldn't have folded them, I'd fucked up, I'd messed up, I shouldn't have fought back, I was just a fuck-up, I just ruined everything, I was a horrible person, I should be killed, I should die right now, I wanted to die, I should be the one turned into a sweet, I'd be a jawbreaker and shatter my own teeth, all I did was ruin things. I'd killed so so many people, how could I have thought I was doing the right thing? I betrayed the girls in my own way, I hated everything about myself.
I'd never see Alele again, she was just a tiny little gem of blue and white, I'd never give the kiss I wanted, I'd never work out a way to have sex with her, I'd never dance with her, I couldn't hold her. We'd never finish watching TitheBreakers together either, she'd never know how it ended. For some reason, that made me cry the hardest, and my body shook and twisted as the loss and terror of never seeing her- of not seeing any of them fully hit me.
Alele was the hardest to think about, but they all needed to be alive, they all needed to live, for something. Galorna was trying so hard to be a leader, Drizti was still adjusting to life outside the cult, and Lucy was still trying to transition, and all that was cut off in the middle of their journeys. I sucked in a breath and felt a crawling horror over my brain. I was their friend, I'd had problems with them, but they were my family, my messy Instant Family, and I'd been the one to end them, to take them away from myself. I was the only one I could blame for this horrible feeling.
I heard Lorgiaia talking, her voice calm and peaceful, but I floated away in memories of the other Angels. I didn't want to talk to her anymore, she was the one who got me in this mess, who gave me my powers. Fuck her and fuck her stupid ideas of what a good power was. No one else had a stupid power like this, was it because I was her 'favorite'? I just wanted to know my friends were ok, I just wanted to know that I didn't do this, I couldn't have. I wasn't that kind of person, I wanted to protect them.
I felt something shove against my chest, and I flinched, seeing a terrified Ravel being pushed into my arms by Lorgiaia, and I curled up around her, sobbing, and knowing I was hurting Ravel too by making her feel like a toy again, but I needed someone to hug, I could apologize later, I needed love, and Ravel was here for that.
"There we go." Lorgiaia said "How lovely, just hold onto your dolly and let it out, those nasty feelings will go away soon. Don't forget, I need you out there hunting Fallen soon! And I do encourage you to at least try and eat the sweets here, it's for the best."
She turned away from me, and said some words to Oori, and I thudded my head against the ground. I couldn't hate her, I'd be marked as a Fallen myself. I needed to keep worshiping her, I had to, or I'd lose everything. It was so, so hard to imagine worshiping her now, to feel her influence in my head. I'd need to eat people constantly to keep her out, the push to eat and the disconnect I'd felt had gone away when I'd eaten Willa, I could just do that and keep her out.
I'd eat her fucking Fallen, who cared, I'd do it and get stronger, and she'd make me Angel, and I'd use my team to fucking kill her, get revenge on her for my friends. For Alele. Maybe if she died, they'd turn back after all? I didn't know how I could kill a goddess, but Sera was part god, and if I could get Spacegirl's gun away from her, anyone could use that. I doubted it'd be easy, but if it was to get my friends back or even just avenge them, I'd build the strongest team I could.
There was a flash of light, and Lorgiaia was gone, leaving the room feeling empty and static-y. I whimpered and forcibly let go of Ravel, letting her scramble away. Oori knelt beside me, tears running down his face and leaving trails in the grime on his cheeks. I reached out for him and he jumped back, and I felt myself crumple inside again, I'd forgotten I wasn't wearing gloves, I'd almost-
"Comfit." He said "I-I know you're not up for much right now, b-but Lorgiaia wants us to do the press conference now, and she said you need to be downstairs helping with cleanup so we can show your new identity to the public."
"I c-can't do a press conference." I mumbled, sitting up "Get someone else to do it."
"I have to be here directing PR efforts or I'd do it myself, no one has heard from Debbie all day." Oori said gently "It needs you be you."
"N-no." I said "Ravel, I promote you to minion, you do it. D-don't tell them I ate her."
"I can't go out alone in public, I'd get captured and turned into a battery." she reminded me
"Chrissie, you're a minion too." I snapped, wiping my eyes "Protect Ravel."
"I respectfully decline, that goddess was terrifying, I don't want anything to do with that." she shook her head. She'd been crying too, and Pendra was curled around her tightly, shaking. "I will go with Ravel as chaperone though, if you don't mind, Ravel?"
"...I should be here with..." Ravel looked at me, and I waved her away "...Fine. Yeah, let's go do a press conference. Oori, text me the details, I guess."
As they left, Oori let out a low, heavy sigh "Comfit, I'm so sorry..."
"I- I can turn them back." I said "I know I can."
"Lorgiaia said you couldn't, I think you should let yourself mourn them, I know you want to help, but when a goddess tells you no..."
I snorted "She was cagey and didn't answer me when I asked if I could do it. She just said she couldn't. I have a plan."
"..." he looked at me with a deep sadness, but didn't shoot me down. "What's the first step in the plan?"
"Make the best first impression possible as Comfit." I said "I need a shower, makeup, and some ice for my eyes."
I sniffed the tears back and shook my head hard "I gotta get my shit together, if I'm going to bring them back, I have to be the best me I can be."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Oori asked
I looked out the window at the late afternoon sun "Get me a crew of people, a table or desk I can direct people from, and let the other safe house people know that I'm making them minions and passing out amnesty, if they want it. Tell Kiri to get all three of the charity groups we support down here to help and be seen, and... If you could grab my phone from your office, I have a lot to post about."
"I... can do that, sure." Oori said, looking at me with an odd look on his face "You're sure you're ok? You don't need any sweets to calm down?"
I flinched and shook my head "No, I'm fine, I don't even want any." I looked at my friends lined up on the pool table and shivered "I will need some custom costume parts though, to carry my teammates around with me, but that can wait until tomorrow."
"Carry them with you?" he asked, shocked "That's- like trophies?"
"No, like my friends, but close to me, always." I said with a grim smile "I won't doom them to a fridge, I promised Alele I'd bring her with me if she ever turned, it's only polite to extend that offer to the other girls."
"Gods..." Oori muttered "I hope you know what you're doing."
I traced my finger over my friends, feeling the sparks, Alele's jittered, Lucy and Driz's throbbed, Galorna's was spazming everywhere.
"I do." I said, "I always do. It'll work out."
~~~
I looked myself up and down. I'd used more makeup than usual, highlighting the natural stuff my transformation gave me and giving my eyes flared red wings. My outfit was crisp and sharp, it'd re-charged as I showered, and I was now transformed. I had the same mary-jane shoes I'd worn with my old outfit- Lorgiaia must really like them for some reason- but instead of tights there were short frilled socks under them, showing off my legs more. I had on my leotard, a bit more green than the olive I'd had before, and with the fake candy pieces a part of the material itself instead of glued on. My hands were gloveless, and my nails were painted a dark burgundy, standing out against my skin. My hair was blonde down to my ears, and from there down to my shoulders it was the red I'd dyed it way back in the beginning. Fuck it, I liked the look, I might keep it, to be honest. All in all, I looked good for my first outing as Lorgiaia's Comfit.
Adjusting my leotard, I stepped out of the stairwell and in to the lobby. The rubble was partly cleared away and there was a nice large table in the center where the door used to be, with stacks of papers and water bottles on it. A few Chosen were standing around it, Creamy with a bandage around her midsection, Sera was away from the others a bit, still covered in blood, Fem-Butch and Lady Guillotine arguing with a guy I'd never seen before with a giant pompadour, and all four of the Valley Nurses were clustered together. I smiled to myself and snapped a picture of the group for CirNet, and walked up to them confidently.
"Alright everyone, I need you, you, and you on rescue." I said, pointing at Lady Guillotine, the man, and Trauma Response, "Go to the bombed areas of the surrounding sections, move rubble and find injured, Trauma, you put them in stasis, the other Nurses, set up a medical area over in the Cafe to treat them when they get back. Field Dress, I'll see about getting you leeches, since this is an emergency."
"Who put you in charge?" snapped Sterile "Where's the Oni girl? She's the leader of this area. You're just some bitch who's been stealing our followers."
"Angel Saffron is longer with us, I'm the last remaining member of my team." I said curtly. Fem-Butch gasped and Sera shook her head knowingly, but the others just looked stunned. "As the last remaining member, I'm in charge of this section block, barring direct orders from the GGDS."
"She's right, she is." Lady Guillotine said, shrugging her huge blade into her hand "By law, we're under her as long as we're working here."
"I'm going home." Creamy snapped, floating away and calling over her shoulder "I'm not staying to work under a murderer."
I snapped a picture of her leaving, and turned to the others. "No one has to stay here, but I want to get things fixed up again as soon as possible, save some lives, so let's get to it, got it?"
"What about me and Seraphim?" Fem-Butch asked "I can do a lot, I just need to know where to go."
"Sera will be cleaning up bodies." I said "You, I want to be with the volunteers. You'll be in charge of The Forican Monster's League, The Society for Non-Chosen Liberation, and The Valley City Abomination Coalition. Chrissie will be back soon, so she can help manage them, but the two of you will work with the charities on cleaning rubble and making sure there's no active looting."
"Got it, can do boss." she saluted "I gotta ask though, are you... doing ok? Losing all your teammates in one day, fuck, girl..."
"I'm doing fine, I'm more than fine." I said, smiling "I have a plan on getting the others back, they're not fully dead, I can do it, I just need to do my best at my new job, that's all."
"Not fully dead, huh?" she eyed me suspiciously "Huh. Just guard your mind, ok? You've been all over the place recently."
"I'm absolutely guarded." I told her, giving her a pointed look, "I need to be fully alone in my head for my plan to work."
"That's a weird way to put it, but I agree." she said, "Just, if you need someone to talk to, or someone to take you out to drink and forget, let me know, ok?"
I laughed "I might do that! I own a fancy restaurant now, so if we do go out, drinks are on me!"
She frowned at me and shook her head "I can tell you've got something going on you can't discuss, so I'll leave you to it, but seriously, if you want to talk after this, come find me, ok?"
"Oh, Elma!" a new voice called out, and I glanced over to see an androgynous young lady with bright yellow hair, a pink dress with a white top under it, and an almost manic expression on her face running up to us "I was hoping you'd be here!"
"Uh, hi Sylifi, why are you here?" Fem-Butch asked
"I'm here to help! Chrissie told me I'd be working with Angel Rouge!" she somehow smiled wider, too many perfect teeth filling her grin.
"That's me, and it's Comfit now, not Angel Rouge." I snapped "Did Chrissie tell you what you'd be helping me with?"
"Sitting at a desk!" she chirped
"If Chrissie is back, I'm going to go coordinate with her about the volunteers." Fem-Butch said "Sylifi, uh, be chill, ok?"
"Of course!" she said, waving as Fem-Butch walked off
"The desk is over there," I told her, "if you want to start directing people who need medical care to the cafe, and people who need shelter to the Unchosen base- wait, do you know where the base is?"
"Ravel pointed the way on our way back." she said, taking a seat, "I like her, she's cute."
"Don't tell her that, she'd get her feelings hurt." I sighed "Are you a Chosen? You look like one."
"Nope, just a normal boring old human with nothing special about me at all." she said, and I instantly got the feeling she was lying about something "But youuuu..."
She bounced her eyebrows at me "Ravel was telling me about you! You can kill with a touch, you're strong enough to explode people with your fists, you can rip through solid metal, you ignore all moral codes and ethics to chase your own desires... And you somehow killed your whole team and got away with it!"
"Ravel told you all that?" I asked, feeling my guts curl "I- no, I'm not- I don't... Oh, gods..."
I couldn't argue with anything she'd said, but seeing it laid out like that, it felt horrible, like I was somehow doing bad things despite only wanting to be good. I was doing the right thing, right? I had been following protocol when I killed the bad guys, I'd saved my team from being killed for real by folding them, I beat Willa myself, and moral codes were made to be broken for the greater good, so why was I feeling so full of guilt? Was Willa wearing off? Did I need another treat so soon?
"Well, Ravel was telling Chrissie about all that." Sylifi shrugged "I just have good hearing. But yeah! I was so impressed! You're like, the best Chosen ever! Even Miss Missile feels bad about killing people, you're like, way better!"
"I... am?" I asked
She was right, I was the best! I did what needed to be done, I fought for those around me, I wasn't going to wimp out like Creamy did just because of a few murders. Chosen killed people who needed killing sometimes, that was expected. I was doing everything I could do to be the best person I could be, and that made me a good person. I smiled at Sylifi and patted her hand.
"I am!" I said "I'm the best, thank you for reminding me!"
"No prob!" she said "But, uh, I was told not to let you touch me? The whole killing touch thing?"
She pointed at our hands, and I gasped, jerking my hand back away from her, my heart spiking. Then I blinked. I hadn't even tasted her, what the heck? I poked her again and she looked at me, confused. That wasn't right... I stood and walked over to a GGDS agent, quickly brushing my hand against hers. Honey and cinnamon hit my mouth, and I walked back to the table sitting down again. Sylifi absolutely wasn't a human like she had said, I could touch her without turning her. I could hold a person without being made stupid by Sera's fizz, without making Ravel uncomfortable! She was touchable! I could hug her and hold her and kiss her and-
I barely knew her, just because she thought I was the best person ever didn't mean I could take advantage of her like that.
Yet.
I needed to get close, to get her to like me, then I'd be able to do whatever I liked, I could even date her for a bit while Alele was predisposed. I could date Sera, too, now that I thought about it. I bit my lip at the thought of having two girlfriends, two people I could actually play with, one more than the other, but still, I could have a regular relationship! Sera was easy, I'd tell her I wanted to date when she was done cleaning up bodies, but Sylifi...
I turned to the oddball next to me and gave her a wide smile, mimicking her broad grin and tilted my head confidently. "Hey, Sylifi, how would you like to work for me? I have an open spot for a minion! And there's room for growth if you prove yourself, I could even make you a Chosen someday!"
Her mouth dropped open and she made a shrill noise while flapping her hands "Yes! Yes, by the seeds, yes! I was working with Elma, but- but- no, I'll work for you instead! I'll earn being a Chosen, I'll do a really good job!"
"Perfect!" I said "I look forward to working with you!"
She giggled and patted her hands together, rocking back and forth in excitement. I was doing a good thing here, I was getting her a good job, and letting her spend time with me! I was a great person, she was sure to fall for me, I knew it. I looked out at the twilight of the city and felt a sense of satisfaction. I was going to be the best Fallen hunter anyone had ever seen. I was going to eat so many people, have so many partners, get enough followers to become an Angel, maybe eat a goddess, or maybe just kill her, and save my friends.
The world was in my hand, everything was going right for me, and I felt amazing. I was going to be the talk of the town, the city would be mine, and anyone who stood in my way would be eaten, I was on a path for good, after all, any opposition must be evil. I even had a throne room given to me because I saved the day, the one above the Petit Fleur. It needed some work, sure, there needed to be much more candy, but I'd be lovely once I finished it, a throne room fit for a Queen. Queen Comfit.
~~~