Chapter One-hundred Ninety-Three: Richonoid Claus

Chapter 193

Richonoid Claus

Jordi stood in the queue with Priscilla. She looked for Tristan and smiled at him.

Priscilla: “Are you coming, Tristan?”

Tristan: “Shortly.”

He nodded.

Blair seethed at Jordi. He let Ashley go and marched to the queue.

Jaxon: “Want to go get a hot chocolate, babe?”

He asked Celeste.

Celeste: “No.”

She said coldly. Jaxon looked hurt.

Jordi took Priscilla to sit on Santa’s lap.

Santa: “Well, hello, Priscilla! Hohohohoho! It’s nice to see you again!”

Priscilla beamed.

Santa: “And who is this young man?”

He asked.

Priscilla: “My prince, Jordi!”

Jordi smiled tightly. Blair seethed and saw red.

Blair: “No, I’M the true prince! I should be there!”

He hissed, stomping his feet.

Santa: “And what do you want for Christmas, Priscilla?”

Priscilla: “I really want my prince to live in my castle! I love how he protects me and reads me bedtime stories! I miss him being around!”

Jordi forced a smile.

Blair marched in.

Jordi: “Excuse me, wait your turn, Blair!”

He snapped. Blair shoved Jordi.

Blair: “Get lost, you fat pig!”

He fired back. Ashley and Madelyn both glared at Blair.

Madelyn: “Call him a fat pig again, and you’ll swim in the fountain again!”

Ichiro snuck around and cocked the injection gun. That’s right, Blair, make this easy for me, he thought.

Fabien: “Hey, Fatley, be a good wifey to your man, and get Jordi and the brat out of there.”

He snorted. Ashley glared at him.

Ashley: “He’s not my man, and Jordi is awesome! Stop being mean!”

They cried back at him.

Jordi: “Wait your turn, Blair!”

He fired back. Blair shoved him again and took the microphone.

Blair: “Everyone! My big announcement is here! ASHLEY AND I ARE GETTING MARRIED ON CHRISTMAS EVE!”

He hollered. Ashley felt as though the floor fell beneath their feet into the fiery pit of Hell.

Ashley: “...Wh-What?! Married?! …To you?!”

They swallowed and felt like they were going to throw up. Tristan cupped his mouth. Celeste gaped at Blair. Jaxon stepped out of a shop and spotted Ichiro. What the fuck is he doing?! He thought angrily.

Jordi: “You couldn’t wait to announce your forced marriage to Ashley?!”

He flared.

Madelyn: “What the hell is wrong with you?”

She fired at Blair.

Blair: “GET LOST, FATTY!”

He screamed at Jordi.

Ichiro cocked his gun at Blair.

Ichiro: “Sayonara, Blair.”

He smirked and fired at his gun, aiming at Blair.

Santa stood up, moving Blair out of the way.

Santa: “Wait your turn, young man!”

He stood where Ichiro fired. The syringe hit Santa’s neck, and the Richioprox Erokine was injected into him. He paused as the needle and syringe dropped to the floor. Jaxon froze in his tracks when he saw where that needle hit.

Santa collapsed to the floor, sweating profusely, panting, and wheezing. Priscilla clung to Jordi’s leg.

Priscilla: “S-Santa…?”

Jordi knelt to him.

Jordi: “Are you all right, sir?”

Tristan made his way in and knelt to Santa.

Tristan: “Sir, are you all right?”

He asked him. Santa rasped as sweat dripped to the floor. Tristan’s heart hammered in his chest. He looked around for Jaxon to heal him, and when Tristan saw him, the horror on his face made dread fill him.

Priscilla: “J-Jordi, wh-what’s wrong with Santa?”

She cried. Ashley knit their eyebrows.

Ashley: “Oh no, is he okay? What did you do to him?”

They cried at Blair. Madelyn cupped her mouth, shocked at what she saw.

Blair: “My announcement blew them away!”

He grinned. Fabien laughed.

Tristan saw clumps of flesh drop to the floor and slowly backed away.

Tristan: “Jordi, get Priscilla out of here now.”

He said slowly. Jordi blinked and lowered his head to the clumps of flesh.

Tristan: “Get her out of here now!”

He said as his voice rose.

Santa’s suit started to tear as he expanded and cried in pain.

Santa: “H-HELP ME! H-HELP ME!”

Jaxon froze in fear, cupping his mouth as his eyes filled with tears, recalling every time he had witnessed this and could do nothing to help them. Ashley screamed.

Ashley: “Oh no! W-What’s happening to him?! We have to help him!”

They cried a desperate plea at the horror before them.

Jaxon: “WE CAN’T DO ANYTHING!”

He cried. Ashley’s heart sank. Madelyn was frozen and turgid with horror and fear.

Santa let out a guttural sound as he expanded. His face protruded, forming a mouth full of sharp teeth. His eyes popped out of his sockets, and two horns sprouted from his head. His hands grew larger, longer, and claws shot out of each fingertip. A long tail shot out from his spine, and large, coarse quills grew from his back. People around the area screamed in terror and ran out of the mall, shoving each other down and trampling on each other. Priscilla screamed and cried on Jordi. Jordi cupped his mouth in horror at what he saw.

Priscilla: “Jordi, what happened to Santa?!”

She cried. Fabien gaped at it. Madelyn cupped her mouth.

Madelyn: “Oh, my god…”

She clung to Jordi.

Fabien: “What the FUCK is that?!”

He gasped.

Celeste: “Fab, get out of here! That’s a richonoid!”

She thundered. Blair screamed. He shoved Jordi away and ran down the mall, screaming his head off.

The creature swung at Jordi. Jordi shielded both Madelyn and Priscilla as it clawed his back. He let out a cry of pain.

Priscilla: “JORDI!”

She bawled.

Madelyn: “OH, NO, JORDI!”

She cried out for him and held him close. The creature roared and towered over Jordi. Celeste threw a minivan at the beast, sending it crashing into the Santa display. Tristan formed a boulder of ice and sent it toppling on the creature, causing an explosion.

Jordi gnashed his teeth in pain. Deimos ran up to him and knelt to heal him. Jaxon knelt and joined him in healing.

Jordi: “Ashley, get Madelyn and Priscilla out of here.”

He asked as they healed him. Ashley cupped their mouth and nodded.

Priscilla: “No, Jordi! I don’t want you to die!”

She bawled. Madelyn swallowed hard.

Madelyn: “I can’t just leave you here!”

Ashley scurried up to them.

Jordi: “You two have to go!”

He said through clenched teeth.

Ashley: “W-We have to go! We can’t do anything, and we’ll just get hurt and get in their way!”

They pleaded with them, taking their hands.

As Ashley took their hands, Priscilla screamed and cried for Jordi.

Madelyn: “JORDI!”

She cried out for him. The creature stood before them and roared. Priscilla screamed. Ashley curled up with them both and screamed. Madelyn yelled and grabbed Christmas decorations, throwing them at the creature.

Jordi: “NO!”

He shot his hand out, and a bolt of lightning struck down on the creature, stunning it.

Jordi: “GET OUT WHILE IT’S STUNNED!”

He cried.

Madelyn: “WHAT ABOUT YOU?”

She cried out for him. Ashley took her and Priscilla, led them out, and away from them.

Jordi: “I’ll be fine…”

He muttered.

The creature roared, and its quills shot out at people, piercing through them and killing them instantly. Jordi saw Mrs. Westwood’s corpse on the floor with a quill through her eye and bared his teeth at the creature.

When the creature shot its quills at the quintet, Tristan created an ice barrier in front of them. When the quills hit the ice, the barrier eroded and melted.

Ichiro started to run away, and Deimos stood before and slammed his fist into his face. Ichiro screamed as he slammed into the wall.

Deimos: “You son-of-a-bitch!”

Deimos delivered a left hook, followed by a right hook, and grabbed his arm, twisting it and breaking it.

Ichiro: “YAAAAAAAAAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!”

He let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Cedar teleported in front of them.

Deimos: “Don’t even think about teleporting this piece of shit away, Cedar! He fucking turned Santa into that thing!”

He screamed. Cedar sighed.

Cedar: “Deimos, I know what happened, but I have to get him to safety. It’s my orders.”

He stared at the dead people on the floor. Amongst the corpses, he saw children, babies, and elders. He blinked and stared in horror at Ichiro.

Ichiro: “Get me out of here, Cedar.”

He said through clenched teeth.

The creature flung Fabien through a store window. He raised his head with shards of glass embedded in his face. Ichiro grinned, and then his smile faded when he saw the glass fall out of Fabien’s face as he healed before his eyes.

Cedar saw two black people—a father and his daughter —taking cover. He ran to them.

Cedar: “I’ll get you two to safety.”

He held onto them and pressed the device in his ear to teleport them away.

Ichiro: “HEY! WHAT ABOUT ME?!”

Jaxon hit him over the head with a fire extinguisher.

Jaxon: “You can get fucked, Bitchiro!”

He snapped.

Tristan shot an ice arrow, and it flew into the creature’s eye. The creature’s roar shattered the windows in the stores. Tristan formed an ice dome over the group to offer some protection.

Tristan: “Jordi, how does your body take electricity? Does it absorb it?”

He asked hastily. The creature let out a guttural sound and started pounding on the dome.

Jordi: “Yes, it does!”

Tristan: “Find the power generators, grab the wires! I have a way to kill this beast!”

He said tersely, then nodded toward the fountain.

Tristan: “Celeste, grab a heavy object to toss at it or hit it toward the fountain.”

Celeste: “You got it!”

She gave him a salute.

The creature’s fist shot through the dome to grab at Tristan. Celeste grabbed its hand and lifted it over her head to toss it onto the floor, cracking it and creating a hole.

Jordi ran past the creature and down the mall. He saw Ichiro passed out and raised an eyebrow, but kept running. When he exited out the back, he spotted the bright yellow power generator. He ran to it, opened the panel, and grabbed the electrical wires. The electricity surged through him as he absorbed it.

~

The power flickered in the mall, and the lights all went out. The emergency power kicked in, dimming the lights. The creature staggered up and shot its quills out. Celeste grabbed Tristan and jumped up with him in her arms. Tristan clung to her. She landed and saw Fabien in the drug store.

Celeste: “Fabien, what the fuck are you still doing here?! Get out with Ashley!”

She hissed.

Fabien: “I don’t want to go with that fat bitch! I want to be with you!”

He fired back.

Tristan: “Fabien, please don’t argue here!”

He snapped.

The creature grabbed Fabien’s arm and tore it off. Fabien let out a ghastly scream. Celeste’s eyes widened. Celeste dashed to the beast and delivered a hard kick to its back, slamming it face down. Fabien lay in a pool of blood, crying out in pain. Celeste took his arm from the creature, knelt, and placed the arm to his bloody stump as his skin and bones slowly reattached the arm. Fabien’s jaw dropped as he saw and felt his arm reattach itself.

Fabien: “How did you…?”

Celeste bared her teeth.

Celeste: “GET OUT NOW!”

She rasped. Fabien looked at her with hurt and looked away.

As the creature slowly rose to its feet, Celeste pried the freezers from the walls of the drugstore, lifted them overhead, and hurled them at the beast. The beast crashed backward into the mall. Celeste grabbed a palm tree, ripped it from its roots, and swung it at the creature, sending it flying backward. Tristan stomped his foot, creating an ice ramp where the beast fell onto it and slid, soaring into the air toward the fountain.

It slammed face-first into the fountain and created a mighty splash.

Tristan: “NOW, JORDI!”

He looked at Jordi, whose hair stood up as electricity surged through him. He extended his hands, and a massive bolt of lightning struck the creature. It let out a ghastly scream that shook the mall. As the electricity flowed through it, its fur and skin began to char, its quills burned to ash, and the creature jerked, twitched, fell over, spasming in the water until it was dead.

Jaxon and Deimos approached them.

Jaxon: “Anyone need to be healed?”

He asked.

Deimos: “That motherfucker, Ichiro, did this.”

He rasped. Tristan heaved a deep sigh and looked away. Jordi blinked and recalled seeing him unconscious as he ran to the generator.

Jordi sank to the floor, utterly exhausted. Jaxon knelt to him and healed him. Jordi smiled a bit and thanked him. He then looked around at the casualties and the destruction this had caused. He thought of Priscilla and knew she wouldn’t be the same after this.

Celeste: “Let’s get out of here.”

She nodded.

Tristan: “Of course.”

Fabien slowly approached them. Celeste didn’t look at him. Fabien looked hurt and looked away.

As they left, Jordi stared at Mrs. Westwood’s lifeless body and bowed his head.

~

Celeste, Tristan, Deimos, Jaxon, Jordi, and Fabien stepped out of the mall and met Ashley, Madelyn, and Priscilla at the entrance. Madelyn brightened when she saw Jordi and ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him.

Madelyn: “Jordi! Are you okay?!”

She cupped his cheek.

Jordi: “Yes, I’m fine.”

He leaned into her hands.

Ashley: “Are you guys okay?! Can I get you anything?!”

They approached them.

Celeste: “Where the fuck is your knight in pissy pajamas?”

She huffed. Ashley frowned.

Tristan: “He fought for his beloved in spirit.”

He said dryly.

Ashley: “He ran off like a selfish little crybaby!”

They shook their head.

Fabien: “Yeah, Fatley, if only you had gotten Jordi out of there, none of this would have happened. Blair would have turned into that thing and not Santa.”

He smirked. Ashley’s heart sank.

Celeste: “Uh, he’s got you there, Ash. No offense.”

She scratched her head. Ashley embraced themself.

Ashley: “...Oh no… It’s my fault… if only I had gotten Jordi out of the way, it would have been Blair instead of Santa!”

They cried.

Madelyn: “What? It’s not your fault! It’s whoever’s fault for making this happen and getting the wrong person!”

She exclaimed.

Celeste: “And if Ashley got Jordi out of there so Blair could make his stupid announcement, Blair would have gotten shot and turned into that thing.”

She drawled. Tristan heaved a deep sigh. Jaxon looked away with rage. Ashley bowed their head in shame and embraced themself.

Ashley: “It’s my fault…”

They cried.

Fabien: “Yeah, it is your fault, you fat bitch.”

He sneered at them.

Blair rolled up in his Toyota Corolla and got out.

Blair: “Where the fudge were you, Ashley?! And what was that thing?!”

He huffed. Ashley glared at him.

Ashley: “You ran away and ditched everyone, and it should have been you!”

They cried at him.

Jordi: “While you ran away, I saved Ashley! You’re welcome!”

He snapped. Blair glowered at Jordi.

Blair: “NO, YOU DID NOT! YOU SAVED ASHLEY FROM NOTHING!”

He stomped his feet.

Fabien: “Yes, that’s right! Ashley saved you from being turned into a monster! That’s true love!”

He laughed. Ashley bowed their head in shame and regret.

Jordi: “THIS ISN’T A JOKE, FABIEN! People died in there! A little girl is traumatized!”

He snapped at him. Fabien shot Jordi a glare.

Priscilla: “Where’s Mrs. Westwood, Jordi?”

Jordi’s face went ashen. Madelyn cupped her mouth.

Tristan: “Fabien, why don’t you go home? You got your laughs, and your favorite boy in the world is still alive. That’s all that counts, right?”

He fielded scathingly. Fabien looked away.

Blair: “Well, I am a nice guy, Tristan!”

He beamed. Ashley frowned at Blair.

Tristan: “Get out of my face, Blair.”

Blair: “Well, since my big announcement and since Ashley saved me, the wedding is on! I can’t wait to marry you, Ashley!”

He beamed. Ashley frowned at him.

Madelyn: “I don’t think Ashley wants to marry you, blue bozo.”

She shook her head at him.

Blair: “Yeah, they do, fat fairy. They don’t have a choice.”

He beamed. Ashley glared at Blair.

Madelyn: “That’s slavery, not marriage, idiot!”

Jordi: “Go home, Blair. I’m done with you.”

He growled at him.

Blair put his arm over Ashley and led them to his car. Ashley wrenched from his arm and begrudgingly got in his car.

Tristan left to go to his car, and Deimos watched him go. He looked away with hurt.

Fabien: “You coming home with me?”

He asked Celeste.

Celeste: “Sorry, but I need to be alone.”

She stated flatly. Fabien looked away.

Jaxon: “You can come back with me, babe.”

He smiled a bit. Celeste nodded.

Celeste: “Okay.”

Jaxon smiled as Celeste went with him.

Jordi: “Go home, Fabien. You got what you wanted.”

He said numbly and left with Madelyn and Priscilla. Fabien looked at his BlairCam and back at the mall.

~

Jordi carried Priscilla up to her bedroom and put her in her bed. He knelt by her and smiled sadly. Priscilla held her stuffed bunny.

Priscilla: “Jordi?”

Jordi: “Yeah?”

Priscilla: “Is Santa dead?”

Jordi pursed his lips.

Jordi: “No, he’s fine. He’s magical, so… my friends and I used our powers to cure him.”

He said with strain.

Priscilla: “Am I going to get my Christmas wish, Jordi?”

Jordi heaved a deep sigh.

Jordi: “Priscilla, I’m not going to be around here anymore.”

He said with hurt. Priscilla looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Priscilla: “Why?! Is it because I am a bad girl?!”

Jordi shook his head.

Jordi: “No, no, it’s not that at all!”

He sighed.

Jordi: “Gina and I broke up, Priscilla… and your uncle doesn’t want me around. I just can’t be around.”

Priscilla started to cry. Jordi knit his eyebrows.

Priscilla: “Gina said it was that mean witch! I don’t like her, Jordi! It’s her fault you’re not being my prince!”

She bawled.

Jordi: “No, that is not true, Priscilla! I couldn’t be with Gina anymore! It’s not you!”

He cried.

Balderico stood in the doorway and smiled.

Balderico: “You’ve made yourself clear, my friend. You don’t want to be around her!”

Jordi angrily rose to face him.

Jordi: “That is NOT true, and you know it!”

He hissed.

Balderico: “Hm, if you say so.”

He clicked his tongue.

Balderico: “It’s time to go, Jordi.”

Priscilla: “I don’t want him to go!”

Balderico grinned.

Balderico: “Well, he has to go because he chose to be away from you and with that obese witch!”

He laughed.

Jordi: “Knock it off now, Balderico!”

He rasped.

Balderico: “What, no Mr. Belloni?”

He laughed. Jordi glowered at him and shoved past him to leave, feeling his heart ache as he heard Priscilla crying for him.

~

Jordi was in his car with Madelyn. He was smoking a cigarette and driving, lost in thought.

Madelyn: “Do you want to come over and watch a movie or something?”

She offered to him, putting her hand on his lap.

Jordi: “I’d like that, but I think I’d like to be in my own bed.”

He said, his voice trailing off.

Madelyn: “Oh, that’s okay, do you want me to come over to yours then?”

She offered. Jordi sighed.

Jordi: “Up to you, but I don’t know if I will make great company right now.”

He laughed bitterly.

Madelyn: “You need good company, though! You need a nice meal and a foot massage!”

She assured him. Jordi tried to smile. He appreciated her effort, but he felt horrible after the events that followed this evening.

~

At Jordi’s house, he stepped out of his shower in his black silk pajamas with “Jordi” written in gold on the left breast pocket. Madelyn sat on the foot of his bed, trying to brighten his mood.

Madelyn: “Hello, handsome!”

She beamed. Jordi forced a smile.

Jordi: “Hey.”

He pulled up the sheets and crawled into bed. Madelyn lay down beside him and massaged his shoulders. Jordi inhaled sharply and eased into her touch.

Madelyn: “Can I get you anything?”

She offered him, trying to brighten him.

Jordi: “No, but I do appreciate it. I’m trying to process what I witnessed tonight is all… and what happened. A little girl is traumatized, her caregiver was murdered by whatever the mall Santa turned into, and lots of people died.”

He raked his fingers through his hair. Madelyn bowed her head and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Jordi: “I’m not going to get over this on a dime.”

He said with strain.

Madelyn: “I know… I’m just trying to help.”

She sighed.

Jordi: “Sometimes this cutesy stuff works fine for some situations, but not dire like this. I witnessed and tried to save people from a monster on a killing rampage, and a little girl was traumatized. I can’t sit here and not think about it, hoping it will go away because that’s not the solution to this problem!”

He said doggedly.

Madelyn: “I know… I want to be here for you, so tell me what you need! Who would do something like this and why?!”

She bowed her head and shuddered at what they witnessed, unable to comprehend and digest it.

Jordi: “I really don’t know what I need right now. But I have to find out why this happened.”

He sighed.

Jordi: “Maybe what I need right now is sleep. I used a lot of my ethereal prowess this evening, and I have to go to work tomorrow. No matter how terrible I feel, I still have to go to work.”

He said bitterly. Madelyn turned to him.

Madelyn: “You still have to go to work after something like that?!”

She cupped her mouth.

Jordi: “Yes, whether I work for Minerva or work for a place like Voyage Burger, your boss doesn’t care how you feel and…”

He sighed, and his eyelids dipped.

Jordi: “No matter how awful you feel, the world still turns.”

He muttered. Madelyn’s eyelashes dipped.

Madelyn: “I care how you feel, though.”

She placed her hand on his. Jordi smiled at her.

Jordi: “I know you do.”

He took her hand and kissed it.

~

At the Donati manor, Ashley and the others made some tea to relax after an arduous day. Blair poured some milk into their tea. Ashley gaped at him.

Ashley: “H-Hey!”

Blair: “Here you go, my turtledove. Now the tea won’t taste like tea.”

He smiled. Ashley frowned at him.

Ashley: “Oh… wouldn’t want my tea tasting like tea.”

They huffed and clutched their mug as their hands trembled.

~

Tristan was in his bedroom after taking his shower, wearing his white silk pajamas. He was on his couch, drinking some chamomile and valerian root tea and reading a book. Someone knocked on his door.

Tristan: “Come in.”

The door cracked open, and Deimos stepped in.

Deimos: “Hey.”

He closed the door behind him.

Deimos: “How do you feel?”

He asked as he sat beside him.

Tristan: “Deimos, a child witnessed Santa Claus turn into a monster, and the richonoid killed several people, some of whom were children. How do you think I feel?”

He asked sharply. Deimos bowed his head.

Deimos: “It wasn’t really Santa. Santa is not real.”

Tristan glared at him.

Tristan: “Don’t be a wiseass. She believed he was Santa. He was still an innocent human being who didn’t deserve to go out in a cruel, sadistic way.”

He said icily. Deimos sighed and bobbed his head.

Deimos: “Why did Ichiro do it?”

Tristan: “Does someone like Ichiro need a reason? Why did he target Chelsea, Kristen, or anyone?”

He asked bitterly. Deimos looked away. He then looked back at Tristan.

Deimos: “I’m sorry I hurt you again, Tristan.”

Tristan: “Of course. Show yourself out, Deimos.”

He hissed.

Deimos: “Why won’t you listen to me?!”

He asked sharply. Tristan glared at him.

Tristan: “Do you need me to spell it out for you?! YOU cheated on me, and when you’re not getting your way, you compare me to that thing to win! Why on Reona would I ever listen to you?!”

He snapped. Deimos drew back.

Deimos: “I don’t know, Tristan… I love you so much…”

He whimpered.

Tristan: “You don’t love me! You just hate losing, and by losing me, you lost and can’t admit that.”

He sneered at him.

Deimos angrily rose.

Deimos: “That’s not it at all! You are SO MUCH more to me than a competition! I fucking love you!”

He cried.

Tristan: “Right, explains why you betrayed me… and left me at the park.”

He muttered.

Deimos: “Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it, Tristan?!”

He bellowed.

Tristan: “Go on, Deimos. Compare me to that thing. Setting boundaries doesn’t make me like that thing!”

He fired back.

Deimos: “I just want you to give me a chance!”

Tristan locked his burning glare on Deimos. He rose to tower over him.

Tristan: “I gave you SO MANY chances, Deimos! I gave you infinite chances, and you somehow manage to fuck those up! You also fuck up your chances at music and life in general, so maybe you’re a chronic failure of a human being!”

He snapped at him as he shoved him down. Deimos felt Tristan’s words slash at him like razors, and his heart ripped in two. His bottom lip trembled. Tristan looked away.

Tristan: “...Get out of here, Deimos.”

He turned around and embraced himself. Deimos angrily stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

Deimos removed his glasses and sobbed as he left Tristan’s room.

Tristan went to his bed, flopped down, curled up into a ball, and sobbed.

~

Jaxon and Celeste entered his hotel room. He removed his Chelsea boots and slipped off his sheer socks. Celeste unbuckled her shoes and removed them. She saw there was one bed in his room. Jaxon sauntered beside her and smiled.

Jaxon: “You want to share a bed with me?”

Celeste: “I can sleep on the floor or on your couch.”

She pointed to the couch in his room. Jaxon grimaced.

Jaxon: “No, babe, I wouldn’t let a lady sleep on the floor or couch.”

Celeste: “Yeah, but you were an ass to me at Lazaros’ Thanksgiving.”

She huffed. Jaxon drew a long breath.

Jaxon: “I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry for that. I just was hurt you fucked Tristan when I don’t want you getting information from Ichiro that way… He traumatized me, but also look at what he did tonight!”

He cried.

Jaxon: “Is that someone you want to seduce?!”

He asked sharply.

Celeste marched away.

Celeste: “This was a mistake.”

Jaxon grabbed her arm and knit his eyebrows.

Jaxon: “Don’t go.”

He said beseechingly. Celeste sighed.

Jaxon: “I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry for everything… I don’t want to lose you.”

He cried. She looked away.

Jaxon: “Is finding out about some dead old creep worth our relationship?”

He asked her.

Celeste: “If you have a better way of finding out, tell me!”

She flared hotly.

Jaxon: “I don’t think Ichiro will tell you if you get in that bunny costume. He never told anyone in the family he did that freaky scientist shit, and why do you think he will tell you anything?”

He asked her. Celeste shrugged.

Celeste: “I can take care of myself, Jaxon…”

She muttered.

Jaxon: “I know you’re strong, babe, but Ichiro is one step ahead. I didn’t think he would do what he did tonight… but he did.”

He embraced himself.

Celeste: “Why target Blair, though?”

Jaxon paused.

Jaxon: “I don’t know. That blue bitch has a lot of enemies.”

~

Ichiro lay in the rubble at the Pink Flamingo Mall. His eyes fluttered, and his head pounded. He gnashed his teeth as he sat up, and he put his broken glasses on. He saw Cedar standing before him.

Cedar: “I escorted all the survivors out. The cleanup crew took the richonoid’s corpse and took it back to be incinerated.”

He explained as he looked at the dead, mutilated bodies around him.

Cedar: “Are you satisfied, Ichiro?”

Ichiro rose and dusted himself off.

Ichiro: “Yes, because I saw Celeste’s panties when she was fighting my richonoid.”

He grinned. Cedar stared blankly at the wall.

Cedar: “Yes, a reason to celebrate.”

He said dryly.