It’s Time to Duel!
A Spirit Pulse Short Story
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s a fine, nice morning in the Vatican. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and a cool breeze flows through the inner gardens, ensuring a comfortable temperature even without any man-made contraptions. Particularly enjoying this beautiful morning are a certain group of people gathered in the inner gardens, drinking tea and eating biscuits, cookies, and other small delights in what has been designated as “family bonding time” in their otherwise busy schedules.
The four people - all females - are family. Not by blood, as none of them are blood-related, but the bond and closeness that they share is enough for anyone who looks to conclude that they are family.
“ALYX, STOP TAKING MY COOKIES!”
“Hey, it’s not my fault that you’re eating so slowly. I’m just helping out finishing the cookies.”
And like any family, sometimes fights break out.
The one who shouted in annoyance was a petite girl clad in white, being only 142cm tall, with teal hair and eyes, and her most notable feature is the big, fluffy white hat that she is wearing. Sitting on her opposite side, casually munching on a chocolate cookie, was a tall, well-endowed white-haired girl garbed in black, looking at the girl with a sly smirk.
These two girls are Cosmos Fairchild and Alyx Kingsleigh, adopted daughters of the two most important people in Rose Cross, and if there is any words that would best describe their relationship, then it would be that of sisterly rivalry. The two often fought and clashed, being practically polar opposites in attitude, beliefs, and even appearance, and today is yet another day where it seems yet another fight will break out.
“Well, I’m sorry for eating slowly! Unlike you, I’m actually savoring the divine taste of these cookies, not merely stuffing them to my mouth just to fill my stomach!”
“Is that why you’re still so small, even after a few years? Rather than eating slowly and drinking tea, you should drink milk instead. Maybe then you’ll actually grow up and eat faster! Besides, I’ve not taken that much cookies from you to get mad, anyway.”
“You’ve taken my cookies thrice now! Everyone has a different pace, and you’re just indulging yourself in gluttony! And you’re mocking my body now, but let’s see what would happen if you keep eating like a glutton! Sooner or later you’ll grow not in height or bust, but your stomach instead!”
“Unfortunately for you, I regularly train and keep my body in shape, and last I checked I am more athletic than you. The possibility of me getting fat is zero, just like the possibility of you actually growing up~”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, their fight always began with a verbal duel. Someone did something that doesn’t sit well with the other, insults and words started to fly, and before anyone knew it, spells and fist was thrown against each other. It’s really not a good image, especially with how bad their first fight actually escalates, but nowadays most people seem to be more amused with their fights than anything; it helps that while the two do fight, it seems any actual animosity is now absent, even if they do find the other annoying or insufferable.
Of course, the reaction of their respective mothers to their first fight was a huge factor that made the two reflect and accept the other more, and since then the two had more or less accepted each other, even if begrudgingly.
Watching the two girls bicker are two women; one is dressed casually, her short red hair framing an amused smile as she listened to the escalating fight over cookies. The other is the very picture of beauty and elegance, with long flowing blonde hair, different-colored eyes, and a pristine purple and white dress, sipping her tea with a small pout.
They are the two most important people in Rose Cross, Mary Fairchild and her Right Hand, Alisa Kingsleigh.
“There they go again.” Alisa commented, amusement clear in her tone. “It’s the fifth time this week. At this rate, they might actually break their record and actually have a fight for seven days straight.”
The reason why the woman let the two fight is because rivalry encourages growth. As long as there’s no actual malice, then they would push each other to be better than the other, and there’s nothing more valuable than a reliable rival. There’s also the fact that she knew some people just don’t click with each other, and being annoyed or disliking each other is fine as long as they can trust and work with each other when it really matters.
Of course, Alisa knew that Mary felt more conflicted. The woman dislikes fights, especially one among her family, and she also knew that the first fight between Cosmos and Alyx left enough of an impression that she never really approved of their fights and always tried to make them get along. Even now, despite being blind, Alisa knew that Mary doesn’t like what is happening in front of her, especially when it’s happening for the fifth time this week.
Before Alisa could say anything, Mary put her cup down, stood up, and clapped her hand once to get the girls’ attention.
It worked like a charm. Both Cosmos and Alyx froze, eyes immediately looking at the Pope, and the two felt a shiver running down their spine despite the smile that’s present on Mary’s face being genuine.
Perhaps it’s because Mary practically towers over the both of them?
“Cosmos, Alyx.” She began, and the two didn’t dare to move a muscle, listening attentively. “Sisterly rivalry is fine, but don’t you think five times in a week is a bit much? Alyx,” She turned to face the white-haired girl. “Please stop antagonizing Cosmos when she is just trying to enjoy our tea time. And Cosmos,” She now turned to her daughter. “Please don’t get so easily provoked into a fight like that. This is supposed to be tea time, a precious moment where we spend time with each other, no?”
There’s a heavy silence now hanging in the air, both girls looking down at their feet in shame. Alisa frowned, thinking that Mary might have gone a bit too far, so she stands up--
“So I thought of a better way for the two of you to settle your disputes!”
The cheer in Mary’s voice is unmistakable, and it’s enough to freeze Alisa and make the two girls look up. Taking something out from the pocket of her dress, Mary brandished a certain object with a smile, and the girls’ eyes widened in recognition. Alisa, being blind, isn’t sure what exactly did Mary show them, but even she knew it’s no normal object when it could evoke such a reaction from both Cosmos and Alyx…
What could it be? What kind of method did Mary present as a better way to settle the two girls’ differences?
“Mother…” Cosmos began in disbelief. “That… is that…”
“It’s UNO!” Alyx exclaimed loudly.
Alisa blinked.
“Yes, UNO.” Mary confirmed with a nod. “Rather than raising your voice, hurling insults at each other or getting physical, why not use this? You can train with each other as much as you like on training grounds, but isn’t something more fun like UNO more fitting during tea time? That way, both Alisa and I can actually enjoy your battle rather than get worried!”
Slowly, Cosmos took the deck of cards from Mary’s hand, handling it with so much care that she might as well have received a holy relic before facing Alyx with a serious gaze.
“Well, Alyx? You’ll agree with my mother’s suggestion, right?”
“Well, of course. Unlike you who only played UNO with auntie, I’ve played with lots and lots of different people. Your chance of winning is zero!”
“You’ll regret those words soon!”
As the two girls continued to bicker while setting up the game, Mary returned to her seat with a satisfied smile while Alisa couldn’t help but to look at her friend with a grin.
“So… UNO huh? Not a bad idea. Though I have to wonder, where did you get the inspiration from?”
“The orphanage.” Mary answered as she observed Alyx shuffling the deck. “It’s one of the ways the children play and settle any disputes that happen.”
“And who will you cheer on in this duel?” Alisa asked again. Mary simply raised her cup to enjoy the aroma before answering “I’ll cheer on them both” with a smile, elegantly sipping on her tea.
“My, the Pope, lying? What would the zealots say if they knew?” The redhead teased her friend. Mary lets out a melodious giggle in response, and the atmosphere becomes even lighter. Softer.
“I did not lie! It’s just… I might cheer harder for Cosmos than Alyx.” She said as she put her cup down with a smile.
Not a second later, the sound of flapping wings reached their ears, and Mary turned to look at the new arrival: A blonde angel clad in a white dress, gently flapping her blue wings to descend as quietly as possible before touching the ground without a noise. The angel is looking at Cosmos, seemingly wanting to go to the girl but not wanting to interrupt as the teal-haired girl is watching Alyx with keen eyes while the white-haired girl distributes the cards, before she notices the two women and lets out a silent shriek.
“L-Lady Mary and Lady Alisa! I-I’m sorry I didn’t notice and interrupted your family time!” The angel apologized, bowing profusely while clasping her hand together as she started mumbling.
Mary smiled. She knew who the angel is not only because Cosmos had told her of how she befriended her, but because someone like Sariel among the Heavenly Hosts is honestly rare. Kind, clumsy, with no mean bone in her body… She has zero points in intimidation, and if Mary has to describe her in two words, then Sariel is a total sweetheart. Unfortunately that means she’s not looked favorably among her fellow angels, and there aren’t that many tamers who want to pick her as their guardian angel either.
But Mary doesn’t mind her at all. “It’s okay, Sariel. Why not join us to watch Cosmos and Alyx play?” She invited the angel, and giggled once again when she saw the blonde angel tripped on her dress as she hurriedly made her way to the table. It’s honestly rather endearing, and from what Cosmos told her Sariel will soon become her daughter’s personal guardian angel, which will surely make the angel happy.
“S-sorry for the embarrassing display…” Sariel muttered, her face beet-red while looking at the ground with teary eyes. “I’m really a shame to the-”
“Hush, it’s okay.” Mary comforted the angel, gently patting her head with motherly affection. “You’re a fine angel Sariel, and I admire your kindness. Why not take a seat and cheer on Cosmos on her battle with Alyx?”
“B-battle…?” Sariel parroted, and after taking a seat she looked at Cosmos and Alyx with questioning eyes. “It doesn’t seem like a battle to me… What are they doing?”
“Hm. You haven’t heard of UNO before, Sariel?” Alisa asked after being silent for a while. Hearing a small “no” as a reply, Alisa grinned. “Well, I guess it’s time for you to learn the basics of UNO…”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two girls stood on the opposite of each other, a round table somehow placed in-between them. On the table lies a deck of UNO, and the two hold seven cards in their hand. Sitting a few paces away watching the battle are Mary and Sariel, while overseeing this duel and acting as the judge is one Alisa Kingsleigh, the blind woman smiling as tension fills the air.
One could imagine sparks flying off between Cosmos and Alyx as the two waited with bated breath for Alisa to begin.
“This is a deathmatch; whoever wins this round will be the winner, and we’ll use our house rules. Is that clear?” Alisa asked, and upon hearing both replying with a yes, she placed her hand on the top of the deck. “Then… Let’s begin!” She proclaimed as she took a card from the deck and placed it on the discard pile while both Alyx and Cosmos shouted a certain phrase:
“Let’s duel!”
“I’ll go first!” Alyx proclaimed as she looked at the first discard: a red-colored 1. She swiftly took a card from her hand and put it on top of the first card. “I put down a red-colored 2!”
“Is that all, Alyx?” Cosmos scoffed. “Such a normal opening move. And you do always like red, don’t you?”
“And here I thought you’re supposed to be the calm one.” Alyx shot back. “Steady wins the race, and all that?”
“Oh, I already saw through what you’re trying to do Alyx! I shall turn the game out of your control!” Cosmos exclaimed as she took a card. “Behold! A blue-colored 2!” She put it down with a tad more force than normal. It was as if a rock was dropped into a pool of water!
“...Um, Lady Mary?”
“Yes, Sariel?”
“Why are they calling out their moves like that?”
“Ah. Well, you might have forgotten, but Alisa is blind.” She gestured at the woman overseeing the duel. “She could still play UNO - we don’t know how - but just to be safe, whenever we play we said our plays out loud so she could know. She might only know the cards she’s holding after all.”
“A-ah, I see. Forgive me for being so insensitive…” the angel apologized, eyes cast downwards. Mary doesn’t like seeing the angel feeling down, so she added:
“That, and it makes for a more dramatic duel, wouldn’t you agree?”
Back to the duel, Alyx tsked at the blue-colored 2. Cosmos has guessed correctly: the majority of her hands are reds, and as luck would have it, she has no blue cards at all!
But Alyx scoffed at luck. She doesn’t sigh or pray when she’s in a pinch. No, for Alyx Kingsleigh,“luck” and “fate” is something to be carved by your own two hands! That’s why she’ll once again turn this situation around, her spirit burning with rebellion!
“Then behold!” She threw a card onto the table, and it landed precisely on top of the blue-colored 2, as if guided by the winds itself. “A green-colored 2!”
She allowed herself to smirk as she saw Cosmos flinched. “Ah, what’s wrong Cosmy? Don’t have a green card in your hand? Then you know what you should do!”
“S-shut up!” The teal-haired girl fumbled as she proceeded to draw from the deck; it took two draws before she managed to draw a green card. “I suppose this should do: a green-colored 4.” Her sister said quietly, and the sight was quite amusing to Alyx.
“Then I’ll continue the offense! Eat this!” With a dramatic flourish, Alyx once again threw a card to the table. “A green-colored 7!”
Of course, that was the last green card in Alyx’s hand. With this move, she could no longer force Cosmos to draw. But the hand difference would be enough for her to be in the lead!
And yet, Cosmos lets out a chuckle instead of immediately drawing cards with a look of despair! “Dear Alyx, it seems that God is on my side. Out of all numbers that you could use, you have to use a 7! And that plays nicely into my advantage!”
“What-you couldn’t mean!”
“Exactly!” Cosmos proclaimed as she took out a card and smoothly slid it onto the table. “Your doom: a blue-colored 7!”
“Guaaaah!” Alyx yelled out, pushed back as if she had just been blasted by a water cannon. “Curse you!” She spat as she proceeded to draw from the deck, and yet a smile crept up on her face as she looked at the first card that she drew. “Fuhahahaha! It seems today is your bad day, Cosmos! I got what I needed on the first draw!”
“Then put it on the table already.” Cosmos calmly replied, arms crossed as she looked with an even gaze at her sister. “No need to draw it out.”
“Then behold your demise!” The white-haired girl showed her card, and Mary gasped.
“That card…” Sariel muttered.
“It’s a draw 2 card.” Mary said, her tone grim. “It forces your opponent to draw two cards, thus putting them at a disadvantage.”
And if that happens, then Cosmos will end up with 10 cards in her hand, while Alyx only has 4! The tide of battle will be heavily in Alisa’s daughter if that happens. And yet, Cosmos didn’t move to draw from the deck. On her face is a calm, confident smile. A sight which infuriates Alyx to no end!
“What’s wrong? Draw from the deck already!”
“Tsk tsk tsk, patience Alyx.” Cosmos wagged her finger, her tone admonishing. “Thanks to your green card earlier, I drew two cards. One of which is the perfect counter to this move!”
“N-no!” Alyx gasped. “You can’t mean-!”
“Behold what the house rules allow me to do!” Cosmos said as she raised a card to the heavens before slamming it down the table. “An identical, blue-colored draw 2 card!”
“AAAAAAAAAH!” Alyx screamed in agony, hands trembling as she was forced to draw four cards in total. It’s a scream that would have normally alerted other tamers that something is wrong, but as the fight between Cosmos and Alyx has become a normal occurrence, such screams are now ignored.
Well, except for Sariel who was ready to get to her feet and tend to the screaming Alyx, but Mary stopped her, smiling at how her daughter turned the table.
“Don’t worry, they’re just being dramatic.”
“Why do they have to scream like that if they’re not hurt? That sounded like a real scream of pain! I was worried!”
At the angel’s question, Mary looked away. “It… makes it more fun? More real?” Sariel looked at the pope, who sounded unsure at her own answers before her face lightened up. “No, it’s because they no longer want to really hurt the other, so to compensate and give a feeling of a real battle, they’d act more dramatically as if it was a real battle! That way, the other can gain satisfaction while not actually really hurting the other!”
“I-if you say so…”
Well, there’s also the fact that all the dramatics actually entertain her. Mary could never play UNO like the two are currently doing, and she never liked fights, but this… Watching someone playing UNO like it was a real fight gripped her attention in a way she never thought possible!
“Now, it is my turn!” Cosmos exclaimed with confidence. “Take a blue-colored 5!”
“Hmph. Are you expecting me to draw more cards?” Alyx mocked, and Cosmos froze. “While it’s true that I was forced to draw 4 cards, it also forced me to skip a turn! In other words, you assumed that I still had no blue cards when I had, in fact, drawn some thanks to the forced draw 4!”
“N-no!” Cosmos stepped back, berating herself for forgetting such a simple rule. She had been carried off by her own play, and must now face the consequences!
“Eat this! Even time is under my command! Behold, a blue reverse!”
“A reverse!” Sariel exclaimed. “B-but… Because this is one-on-one, that means…”
“The effect is the same as a skip.” Mary finished. “And it seems Alyx is not yet done.” She added with worry as she looked at the grinning white-haired girl.
“I’ll pummel you down until you realize how outclassed you are, runt!” Cosmos widened her eyes in horror as Alyx took three cards from her hand. Impossible! She couldn’t have-!
“A red reverse!” Alyx began, slamming down the card with the force of an inferno. “A red skip!” She followed, and Cosmos had to shield herself from the (imaginary) raging flames that prevented her from doing anything. “And lastly, a red-colored 9!”
“KYAAAAAAA!”
It was too much. It felt like taking a punch with the force of a meteor, and what else could she do but to scream in pain? Why, it even felt as if she did experience being punched with the force of a meteor, once upon a time, and Cosmos could do naught but to fall to her knees, her breathing labored.
“Weak! Far too weak!” Alyx taunted. “Is this the best you can do? Surely not! But even at your best, let me tell you that anything you’d do… Anything you try to grasp victory is completely useless! Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless!!”
Slowly, Cosmos stood up, looking at the red-colored 9 resting on the top of the table. Her eyes flickered to her own hand, where she knew the only card that she could play is a red one, and then she considered the amount of cards that they have: her five to Alyx’s four.
Cosmos knew the situation was bad. There is only one card in her hand that could help her regain her advantage, and yet to do so she must first change the card’s color on the table to match it. A task that is much harder than it seems!
“I… I play the red-colored 8.”
“What’s wrong? You sounded less enthusiastic than before.” Alyx taunted, taking a card from her hand and flicking it to the table. “Red-colored 1.”
Four to three. Once again the only card that she could play is a red one.
“Red-colored 3.”
“T-this doesn’t look good for Cosmos, Lady Mary.” Sariel stuttered as she watched the duel. “And… and Cosmos doesn’t seem to have her earlier energy after that scream. Could she have given up…?”
“No, dear Sariel.” Mary corrected, her tone confident as she looked at her daughter. “Cosmos has not given up yet.”
It was only natural for Sariel to be concerned. After all, both Cosmos and Alyx now have three cards in their hands; yet a simple glance at Alyx’s expression and reiki clearly shows that once again, the white-haired girl could play a card without drawing from the deck. The situation, simply put, looked pretty hopeless.
And yet, just like Mary said, Cosmos didn’t lose hope. She didn’t give up. Unlike Alyx, Cosmos Fairchild fully believed in fate, destiny, and God’s will. She prayed for strength, the strength to win and overcome this seemingly hopeless situation, but she didn’t just pray. No, she’s all too aware that even when one believed in God and fate, God would never change the fate of someone who is content to follow the rails laid out before them. That’s why she would try her hardest! She wouldn’t lose hope until the very end, where the last card is put on the table!
And her faith - her determination - was rewarded. Alyx striked as swift as the wind, yelling a “green-colored 3!” as she brought the card down. This is the chance that God had given her! Looking at her cards to confirm that she could begin to set her counter-attack, Cosmos allowed herself to smile in the face of despair!
“Then allow me to change the color once again!” She said with flourish, taking a card and raising it to the heavens, as if it was an offering to God. “Behold, a yellow-colored 3!” She slammed the card down like thunder. Yes! There’s only two cards in Alyx’s hand. While victory is closer to Alyx than her, the chance that she has a yellow card or a 3 is quite low! And even if she has a yellow card and doesn’t have to draw, that would only play to her advantage! Alyx’s only way out is to play a different-colored 3! She could turn this around!
But as if in reversal of what she did when Alyx brought down the green-colored 7, this time it was Alyx who looked calm, and soon a feeling of dread settled in her stomach as Alyx let out a chuckle before it turned into full-blown laughter!
“Hehehe… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
To Cosmos, that laughter sounded completely evil, filled to the brim with malice! A villainous laughter of someone who’s about to stomp the head of someone into the dirt! Cosmos gritted her teeth, preparing herself for a different-colored 3 to be played, but little did she know that what would happen is much, much worse!
“Oh, you’re like an open book Cosmos!” Alyx said in-between laughs. “Do you realize that in this match, not a single yellow card had been played yet? The fact of the matter is that in the beginning, you didn’t have a green, and I didn’t have a blue. But yellow! We both have yellow, and from the way you act I know that your trump card is a yellow card!”
“Unfortunately for you,” Alyx grinned. “My trump card is also yellow.”
“N-no way.” Cosmos took a step back. “You couldn’t have planned this!”
“Don’t you believe in fate or destiny? Why not chalk this up to that?” Alyx shrugged as she took a card before flashing a vicious grin. “In my case, I believe that this happened because of my own doing! And my doing would lead to your defeat! TAKE THIS!” Like a lightning bolt, Alyx strikes the table - and in doing so reveals her trump card.
“A… Yellow skip…” Cosmos muttered as she fell to her knees in defeat. There’s nothing that she could do now. Her trump card couldn’t be played, and judging from how Alyx acts, it’s clear that her last card is also a yellow card. Even as she tried her hardest to reign the despair in, before she knew it tears started to fall from her eyes.
(BGM off)
She lost. Her best is not enough. Fate had decreed Alyx as the winner, and there’s nothing that she could do about it. She couldn’t lecture Alyx - couldn’t do anything for the three cookies that had been taken from her so cruelly. She couldn’t try to make her sister to act better, and she couldn’t regain what she had lost.
But a voice shakes her out of her reverie.
“Don’t give up yet, Cosmos!”
It was her mother’s voice. Cosmos looked up to the side, and saw her mother standing up, looking at her with a look that could only be described as gentle determination. “The game is not yet over. Do not avert your eyes. Do not stop trying - or praying - until it is over.”
Their eyes met, and Cosmos realized that the train had yet to come to a stop. It is still going on the rails called destiny, and she still has some measure to control it, even if it doesn’t look like it. So she nodded, wiped her tears off, and stood back up. Even if she has no idea on how to control where the train is going when the destination can now be seen, she stood back up if only to hold her head up high until the very end.
“Sorry auntie, but it is pretty much game over already.” Alyx said as a matter of fact. “But I suppose it isn’t over until I put this card down. Say goodbye, Cosmos!” She raised the card dramatically. “For in the end, your efforts have been rendered useless by me!”
Alyx swung her hand down. Cosmos could see the station where the train would stop. Sariel covered her eyes, seemingly not having the courage to look at the blow that would finish her friend. And yet, Mary Fairchild looked on without wavering in the slightest. Not at the table, not at Alyx, not even at her daughter. No, her eyes were locked on to her friend, who had been silent and still since the duel began!
In a flash, the hand of Alisa Kingsleigh, the Right Hand of Mary, stopped Alyx’s hand dead cold in her tracks. Cosmos gaped in shock, Sariel opened her eyes, and Alyx looked at her mother with confusion and annoyance. “Let me go, mom! I was about to win!”
“No you don’t.” Alisa shook her head with a smile. “The opposite is true; you just grasped defeat from the jaws of victory.”
“What?! There’s nothing else that the runt could do! It’s my win-”
“Alyx.” The train moved past the station without stopping. “You didn’t say UNO. As a penalty, you’ll draw two cards.”
Alyx froze in horror as the reality set in, while Cosmos took a glance at her mother, who is still smiling before nodding, finally realizing what her mother had meant. How could she forget? The despair had blinded her to the truth, to the fact that even in the darkest of moments where the end seems nigh and inevitable, there might still be something that she could do! That she should not give up and chalk the result to “fate” when it is not over yet!
As Alyx grudgingly drew two cards, Cosmos saw Aunt Alisa nodding at her, indicating that it is now her turn. She nodded back - even though she’s unsure whether the blind woman would understand - and looked at the yellow skip on the top of the table.
The card that signaled her doom had turned into one that signaled her victory.
“Your arrogance has become your downfall, Alyx.” She began. “Let this be a lesson in humility! Carve it into your memory, the day your own hubris best you!”
The white-haired girl gritted her teeth. She had drawn a wild draw 4 and a blue draw 2, and yet she knew that her petite sister wouldn’t sound so confident if that card could be countered. It was as her mother said; she had grasped defeat from the jaws of victory.
But despite her logic telling her that, Alyx didn’t despair, nor did she back down! She held her head up high, betting on the small chance that there is still something that she could do! Her pride wouldn’t allow her to just fall over and accept her defeat! And so, she waited with bated breath as she saw Cosmos raising her second to last card to the heavens.
“A yellow reverse! UNO!” Cosmos declared as she slammed her card down with dramatic flourish, avoiding the mistake that her sister made. “It was a close match, Alyx. But in the end…” She dropped a card to the table: a yellow-colored 8. “Justice shall prevail.”
“AAAAAAAAAAARGGHHHHHHH!” Alyx screamed out in pain, as if a ziodyne had just struck her defenseless body, and a second later she crumpled to the ground. The duel is over in Cosmos’ victory, and she approaches her fallen sister as the white-haired girl looks up.
(BGM off)
“It’s my win, Alyx. You know what to do.”
Alyx grumbled, but honored their promise before the duel began. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, as if saying it hurts her very soul.
Cosmos is having none of it. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.” She cusped a hand to her ear. “Please say it louder.”
Alyx gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry.”
“Still couldn’t hear you~”
“I SAID I’M SORRY, DAMNIT!” Alyx shouted before tackling the smaller girl to the ground, Cosmos letting out a cute yelp as she fell, before Alyx began tickling her sides. “I was even going to buy you some cookies to replace the one I’ve taken, so why do you have to be so obnoxious about your win you runt?!”
“AHAHAHA- P-please stop! I can’t- I can’t take it- AHAHAHA! Stop, I yield! I’m sorry! Mother, Aunt Al-HAHAHAHEEEELP!”
“Goodness, those two never change.” Alisa shook her head as she returned to her spot besides Mary with a smile. “You’re not going to stop them?”
“Oh, this kind of sisterly bonding is fine, I think.” Mary answered cheerfully. “Besides, dear Sariel is already on her way to stop them.”
A task that the angel is failing spectacularly, if the new sounds of laughter is of any indication. Alisa silently handed the UNO deck back to Mary, and the blonde graciously accepted it before tucking the cards into her dress pockets. They both knew that soon enough their duty shall call, but nevertheless they allowed themselves to enjoy the sight before them for a little while longer.
And thus, an ordinary morning passed for the family.
An ordinary morning that wouldn't last forever.