[5]

"Wait, a minute!" Priscilla raised her voice. "How did you hear him? He hadn't said a single prayer in front of us!"

Cyril set her jaw stubbornly. She hadn't met to air her grievance out, but it had hurt her. Not physically, or mentally, but on some deeper level. That it had been an affront to her. Priscilla looked at her with worry. Cyril wanted to tell her, but how could she had told her about her "dream" last night. Or the fact she'd been hearing people... Praying... It felt like some sort of privacy violation at the least. Abuse of administrative powers at most.

That was if her administration powers were manifesting. She hadn't even thought about that. A slow return of her powers. Still, though, it was too much to explain to this little girl. It was why she had to get out of Gulley's Port. All the voices, so many pleading voices... It was tearing at her very being.

"Please talk to me," Priscilla took Cyril's hands in hers. "I know you're troubled."

"How?" Cyril's lips pursed.

"Becuase in the short time I've known you, you've practically worn your heart on your sleeve," Priscilla confessed. "We thought you were just aloof, but... You're hurting too, aren't you?"

Cyril was hurting, but that wasn't what she took up.

"I do not wear my heart on my sleeve." Cyril protested.

"Yes, you are." Priscilla chuckled at how childish an Angel could be.

Cyril was quite childish and prideful. Wrapped in a beautiful husk of a woman who'd had an insane amount of power. It stirred a strange feeling in her heart.

"Yes," Priscilla smiled.

"No!" Cyril protested again.

"When we kissed earlier, it was written on your face too," Priscilla said proudly.

Cyril stiffened. That had been Cyril's first real kiss. Not some virtual pressure or animation. Despite it being an accident, they had kissed.

"It was an accident!" Cyril blushed for once.

"But we kissed, so you have to marry me to repair my honor." Priscilla half-teased.

"No! You're too young!" Cyril raised her voice and began to walk away while throwing her hands into the air.

"I am not! I'm thirteen!" Priscilla laughed.

"I'm seventeen, I'm too old for you!" Cyril was heating up, more from the topic than any romantic feelings.

"And? Fourteen is the legal age of marriage in the Empire," Priscilla said. "It wouldn't be odd if I married a forty-year-old man."

Priscilla lied. It would have been weird. She was young, and he'd be old. She'd still be a young maiden when her husband was in the grave.

"Ew!" Cyril turned around. "That is disgusting, and I am not a pedophile!"

"Pedophile?" Priscilla repeated the odd word.

"I'm not into kids!" Cyril said.

"I'm not a kid!" Priscilla was beginning to feel hurt. Was she so against me...? Am I unattractive...?"

Cyril saw the look of hurt on her face and winched. She hadn't meant to hurt her. Still... It was not apparent to Cyril that Pricilla was sore about this topic. The young girl in question had regretted teasing Cyril now.

"Look, I get it..." Cyril said softly as they stopped. "Look... Where I'm from, the legal age of marriage is eighteen. Children are still children until that age."

"Heaven has laws like that?" Priscilla looked at Cyril.

"Yeah!" Cyril lied. She didn't know what she wrote for that piece of shit place!

"You're lying!" Priscilla pointed at her. "It's written on your face!"

"N-no!" Cyril stumbled over that and looked around for an escape.

She then bolted down the road towards the stone bridge in the distance.

"Hey!" Priscilla screamed. "You get back here and tell me the truth!"

They ran down the road. Cyril ran only fast enough to keep out of finger's reach. Priscilla was hollering for her to confess her sins to her. They followed the river, it's grey waters rushed as melted snow drained into it. To the east, the forests crawled up the sloped lands towards the mountains. Its trees brushed with white along with the mountain tops. The clear day held no passing clouds, and the sun smiled upon the cold lands.

To the west, the suburbs rested against the City's outer curtain. It's wooden canopies thick with fallen snow. People were roused by the distant laughter of girls, but they quickly went about their day. Even the shantytown was thriving with life as the poorest of them tried to survive in winter's first fall. Amongst the beauty, humans struggled for survival, but today... These two girls set aside their woes and took in some of that beauty.

They crossed the stone bridge, still chasing each other as the bored guards looked on with interest. Some entertainment in this weather was good.

It was only when they reached the eastern gatehouse did they stop. Priscilla nearly out of breath, and Cyril helped her by warming her up with her magic.

"That burns." Priscilla panted, sweating from the effort.

"Burning is good." Cyril smiled.

"Hey..." Priscilla said. "Thank you for bringing me with you. It was fun."

"I"m glad you have fun, " Cyril's smile became mischevious.

"Why are you smiling like that...?" Priscilla felt worried now.

"We're going to have to deal with Randol now."

"Why?" Priscilla asked.

"Becuase I didn't tell him we were leaving." Cyril giggled