Time passed inside the holding cell.

No one paced. No one worried. If anything, it felt like a sleepover gone wrong.

Except there were bars.

Nyx and Luna sat cross-legged on the floor with their hands hovering above each other.

"Ready?" Nyx asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Luna cracked her knuckles. "You're so going to cry."

"We'll see, stormy bestie~"

Nyx placed her palms over Luna's. "The game begins when I count to one. If I manage to pull my hands back without them getting touched, I win. If you manage to touch my hands, you win. After each round, we switch. Ready?"

This was a bit of a different version of the game played by most in the world, focused on having only one chance to strike instead of infinite.

"Ready," Luna nodded.

"Three… two-"

Nyx's hands snapped back, untouched. Luna blinked. "You didn't even count to one! I knew you were a tits for brains woman, but not to this degree!"

"I counted internally," Nyx grinned. "The score is 1-0."

"…" Luna's eyes narrowed into fiery slits. "So that's how you're going to play. I see how it is."

They reset their hands.

Luna inhaled, and then sparks of electricity began buzzing around her fingertips.

Nyx smiled sweetly.

Luna moved.

But then Nyx's telekinesis came and thickened the air around Luna's hands.

Luna's eye twitched.

Nyx's own hands drifted up with impossible smoothness, sped up by the same invisible push she used to hold onto Luna.

*Slap.*

Luna pulled back a moment too late with her palm reddened.

Nyx giggled behind her hand. "Aww. Perhaps this is not your kind of game. 2-0."

Luna glared but said nothing.

Round three.

Luna's shoulders hunched forward like a hunter stalking prey. Lightning rolled under her skin.

Nyx grinned, already preparing her telekinetic trap.

But then Luna blurred.

No warning. No twitch. Just a violent pop of displaced air.

*SMACK.*

The sound echoed.

Nyx yelped and yanked her hand into her chest, cradling it with wide eyes. "Ouch! That hurt so bad!! You barbarian!"

Luna leaned back with satisfaction, flipping her hair. "Choke on a fat one, bitch."

Nyx blew on her stinging palm while sporting glossy eyes. She held her hand out in front of her, cautiously poking at the angry red mark with a wounded sniff.

"Why did you hit like a freight train…? I'm a backliner, this is abuse!" she muttered, voice trembling.

Luna sat back with her arms folded, legs stretched out, having absolutely no remorse anywhere on her face.

Nyx sent her a watery glare.

Luna raised an eyebrow as if to say I regret nothing.

Nyx slumped in defeat. "Fine. I may have been a bit of a-"

"bitch?" Luna finished for her.

Nyx chose peace instead of war this time. She pressed her sore hand against her armor to cool it and sighed. "Whatever. But tell me… don't you think Kai was acting a bit different?"

"Different how?"

"Alice. The last time she pulled something almost exactly like this, Kaiden tore into her incredibly harshly. Told her she was reckless, called her a nuisance…He made the little sis bawl her eyes out and have an existential crisis, thinking she was about to be abandoned. But today? She bursts in, announces she'll 'protect him at all costs,' practically waves a giant 'he's related to me, an Ashborn!!!' sign… and he just sighs and even smiles."

She paused. "Thankfully, we stopped streaming before that was shown, or the whole world would know…"

Luna's expression shifted. First curious, then slowly, smug. "You seriously haven't figured it out?"

Nyx narrowed her eyes. "… figure out what?"

Luna looked utterly confident as well as condescending, acting as if Nyx were slow in the head. The pink-haired beauty had a vein pop on her forehead. But before long, the Storm Valkyrie explained her train of thought.

"Kaiden loves Alice. Her drama, her clinginess, all of it. The only reason he acted strictly before was because he was worried about what would happen if people found out. His dad, his siblings, the Ashborn name itself. It would have brought hell down on both him and us."

Nyx stayed quiet as Luna continued.

"But now? He still wants to keep it quiet, but… You saw him. He doesn't care nearly as much anymore."

Nyx didn't reply.

Because Luna was right.

They weren't just background names anymore. Kaiden Grey and his Sinners had all shaken the world enough times that people thought twice before trying to crush them.

Even Magnus Ashborn might hesitate.

"And if word did get out?" Luna smirked. "What's that bastard going to do? Deny it or proudly say 'Yes, the guy turning the world upside down with his myriad of unknown powers is my son. What, you're saying that he has some adult videos that only women can watch? Oh well. He inherited my handsome face and good genes; it can't be helped.'"

Nyx snorted with the corners of her mouth lifting. "He's not just a pornstar anymore, huh…"

Luna's gaze softened in utmost agreement. "No. He's so much more than that."

Nyx looked at her hand one more time, still throbbing.

Then she sighed. "You still hit like a sociopath."

"This is what we call a skill issue, bestie~" Luna grinned.

"Hmph."

…

On the bench in the back, things were calmer.

Mostly.

Aria sat straight-backed while Bastet stood behind her with hands buried in Aria's silver hair, weaving braids, twisting loops, undoing them, starting again.

Aria watched in the reflection of a hand mirror she was given by the guards after asking for it. Frankly, the Moon Valkyrie only asked because she wanted to complain about their treatment, so one can imagine her surprise when one of the female guards ran to her locker room and gave Aria her own personal hand mirror.

"You're tightening it too much. Loosen the strands at the crown, then tuck them behind. It frames better."

Bastet tried her best. "Hmm. I am struggling a bit with that one."

"As a boss monster, you never had to do your hair, I imagine, so it makes perfect sense for you to struggle a bit with the harder motions. Don't worry about it, practice makes perfect."

"You know, you can be surprisingly accommodating."

"I am always accommodating."

"Save for when the yandere comes out."

"…"

A pause came.

Aria then sighed, defeatedly switched places with the tanned felinid.

Now standing behind Bastet, she examined the dark hair in between her fingers that was falling like inky silk.

"Your hair is ridiculous."

"Meaning?"

"It feels beyond great to the touch. I almost have no words."

Bastet had a proud smile emerge on her lips. "I try my best to take care of it. Do you know how many conditioners I ordered? Humanity is insane. Skin care? Makeup? Serums? I don't like some of your species' habits, but beauty products?" She pressed a hand to her chest. "Peak civilization."

Aria couldn't help but giggle while having her fingers running through Bastet's hair, gently sectioning it. "Glad you're enjoying your time with us then."

"I am. Perfect nails. Sunscreen. Eyelash curlers. Great fights. Getting ravaged by Master at night."

Aria paused at the last one, but instead of getting jealous, she just shook her head, smiling.

Bastet's eyes slid to the side. "But seriously… since when are you so helpful about seducing him? Isn't your whole thing getting jealous over a hug?"

Aria's hands froze.

Then she tapped Bastet's shoulder. "Turn around."

Bastet did.

Aria moved to sit in front of her, legs crossed, expression thoughtful. Her fingers resumed working through Bastet's hair, slower now.

"Truthfully, I wasn't like this before… With just Nyx and Luna, I could keep it together. Then you showed up. Gorgeous, smug, exotic sun-cat queen with curves and confidence and solar beams. And I…" she shrugged. "I guess I got competitive. Too competitive."

Bastet watched her with interest shining in her eyes.

Aria continued while her fingers braided neatly. "I'm trying to calm it down. I still want him to fall for me, hard. But I also… like you guys. I don't want to ruin that, especially because I love Kai, and Kai loves you. What sort of girlfriend would I be if I made the lives of his loved ones hell?"

"Does that mean you'll not be our yandere princess anymore?"

"… No. I don't think I'm strong enough to keep it together at all times."

The tanned felinid couldn't help but burst into amused laughter. "Thought so."

Across the room, Nyx was still shaking her hand.

Luna was smug beyond recovery.

And despite the concrete and metal… no one felt imprisoned.

It felt almost like home.

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