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nomorefstogive · 4 months

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Our Dearest Sin: Chapter 3: Taking Care of Flowers (Crossposted on Ao3)

@lirational It took me quite a while, but I hope you like this.

The flowers were in bloom, the fragrant aroma of poppies and carnations, lavender and roses, and many others filling the cell, or perhaps chambers is a more apt word, of the woman known as the Mentor of the Garden, her eyes closed in tranquility as gentle fingers carded through her ivory locks, a low humming further aiding in lulling her into a state of tranquility.

Her eyes were closed, and her senses enveloped in the gentle warmth of the lap her head resting on, along with the fingers trailing through her silken locks, as her violet gently caressed her scalp, resting her back against the dark wood headboard of her mentor’s bed as she did so, her own eyes heavy lidded in quiet peace.

Further enveloping the Poppy was the warm body of her beloved ‘Moonlight Cinderella’(1) who lay resting beside her, gently rubbing her stomach as nonsensically babbled into her ear as they nuzzled against her, their forehead resting just above her ear as they fought the urge to fall into slumber beside their Mentor.

Her carnation rested at the foot of the bed, gently rubbing her feet, softly caressing her calves and soles as they looked up at her with a heavy lidded gaze of contented peace and a smile of warm adoration, their lilac hair falling loosely around them as they allowed themselves to relax in full with their family.

Of course these were but 3 of the many flowers that were gathered around her, some lounging against her bed and others against other surfaces, some dozing in peace as they held fast to one another while others lay slumbering or dozing in a state of half awake and half asleep tranquility, the smell of flowers and incense joining with the warmth of gathered bodies and the gentle babbling of water from the fountain that rested in the center of the room further lulling them into a sense of tranquility.

On this day there were no contracts from the Spider and the Hush, there were no quests for revenge or debts to settle, no threats to the one that had offered them shelter and comfort, amidst the storm of malaise and mania that hung over the city as Paradeisos and the Underground waltzed their dance macabre upon the bones of the unknowing and innocent, that needed pruning.

No, on this day there was nothing but each other and the comfort of their family being together, of the younger members huddled together as they listened to the dulcet tones of their elders telling them stories or simply conversing with them as they rested their heads on their laps and shoulders as the older members paired off to cuddle with one another, some exchanging gentle kisses and caresses, and others simply basking in one another's company.

Such was the intensity of the tranquil atmosphere, and so all encompassing its embrace, that none did more than turn a raised brow or inquisitive glance when the doors to the room were opened, an ever welcome and familiar figure entering and, after examining the scene before them for but a moment, moving to approach Coquelic.

Even from her position on her bed, and even with her senses enveloped by her flowers as they were, Coquelic knew who it was that was now winding their way around her room to her, she did not need to see the way Sumire lit up with an all encompassing joy as they approached or how Garofano’s eyes lit up with a possessive love, or how Gekkabajin smirked with a glint of hunger in her eyes, nor did she even need to register the familiar clicking of shoes on stone or the familiar perfume.

Indeed, all she needed was the growing warmth of the Shackles to tell her who it was that had come to stand beside her bed, eyes traveling across the quartet of bodies that lay upon the bed, 3 of them eagerly beckoning for her to join them

Barely had the Mentor of the Garden had time to open her mouth to invite Persephone to lay beside her when she felt her bed dip down, a smile crossing her face as she felt a pair of arms, that were still far too thin for her or any of her Flowers liking, gently wrap around her as another warm form came to rest with her.

Idly Coquelic contemplated turning to face Persephone, to lay her lips against hers and pull her to rest atop her as her flowers gathered around them and joined them, the younger ones being shepherded to soundproofed rooms or turned loose upon the bureau as a whole while their elders indulged themselves in the comfort of their bodies, though ultimately she decided such a thing could wait till later.

For now, she was content just to reach out the arm that was not wrapped around one of her flowers and gently slip it under the chief and embrace her to her side, her fingers gently carding through Persephone’s hair as she felt the Chief nuzzle against her neck, her breath ever so gently caressing her skin as she relaxed.

Silently and in tranquility they lazed there for what could have been hours just as easily as it could have been minutes, time having long lost all meaning to those within the room as they silently enjoyed the moment of bliss they were entrapped within, many seeming fit to fall asleep if they had not already done so, that is until Persephone shifted ever so slightly so that she now was supporting herself with one arm as her other gently caressed Coquelic’s side.

“Oh?” Coquelic raised a brow as she looked at the Chief with a smirk forming on her face, her eyes fluttering shut for just a moment as she felt dexterous fingers caress her ribs for just a moment before they leaned up to lightly brush the side of her breast, moving further up to ghost over her pulse, pausing for but the briefest of moments to feel the beating of her heart before resuming their journey to cup her cheek.

The Mentor’s eyes slowly opened, her gaze locking with Persephone’s own, silently gazing at her for several moments before she began to lean up, allowing for the chief to slip a hand under her upper body as their lips met, their kiss was slow and tender, Coquelic taking care to gently seize the chief’s bottom lips with her teeth and lightly nip as it before she pulled back, a thin strand of saliva connecting them for but the briefest of moment before it fell away.

Already Coquelic could hear her Flowers begin to shift and stir, moving to herd the young pens away even as they giggled at the scene of their mentor begin to flush as desire began to pulse through her body, the other elders on the bed moving to join in as well as Gekkabijin sighed before she rose from the bed, offering a kiss to her Mentor’s cheeks before she moved to help herd the younger ones before she would return to join in what was to come.

The mood in the room began to shift, the Flowers eyes darkening as they began to move to gather around their Mentor, Sumire already leaning down to place her own lips Persephone’s head, taking a deep breath of her scent as she began to reach out to tilt her head up so she could kiss her as well.

At the same time, Garofano, torn between trailing kisses up her Mentor’s legs until she was near enough to her center to savor her scent and taste, or pulling Persephone down and into her arms once Sumire was finished with her so that Sumrie and her Mentor could have some time together, found her gaze flickering between each of the women above her as a pit of hunger and desire began to grow in her stomach.

Though all such movements paused as Persephone leaned down once more to nip at Coquelic’s ear, her tongue lightly caressing it for several moments as her other hand began moving to go under the Poppy of the Garden, Coquelic raising herself up just enough for the hand to slip under her and cup her rear, the Mentor letting out a sigh of pleasure as Persephone leaned in to her ear once more, before she stage whispered to her-

“Sorry about this.” Persephone breathed out, causing all to pause in their actions and look at her in confusion, Coquelic raising a brow and opening her mouth to query just what it was the chief was sorry for, only to be cut off as she continued.

“But I was told flowers need to be watered, and that you needed some exercise.”

“What are you-” But barely had the words left a confused Coquelic’s lips before-

“And I have heard that swimming is a wonderful exercise!”

And with her words said, and a twinkle in her eye, Persephone shifted herself just enough to-

A loud splash echoed in the now dead silent room, the young members that had yet to be shepherded out and the elder members all gaping in silent shock as they saw the Chief flee the room with speed that far exceeded what they thought her weary form could muster, the doors flying open with a resounding *Bang* as they collided with the walls for a moment before closing once more.

Once the echoes of the doors banging open had died down, there came forth an oppressive silence that suffocated all those present to such an extent that none dared to even breathe, indeed they dared not to even move as the sound of water splashing broke the silence.

Coquelic slowly rose from the pool that she had been flung into, her white lingerie soaked through such that all was visible to the naked eye, from the mound of her sex to even the pink of her areola and nipples were visible if one were to focus, her poppy ornament was resting lower on her damp hair than it once was, and said hair hung over her head like a wet curtain of white.

Slowly, and with a visible tremble to her movement, Coquelic lifted up her hand and brushed her hair to the side, delicately tucking it behind her ears and revealing a scene that had the younger members fleeing with as much speed as they could, even the elder members found themselves torn between fleeing into cover or remaining where they were in hopes of being ignored by the threat before them.

For there, upon the Poppy of the Garden’s face was a smile, a wide and beautiful thing that showed off her white teeth and sharp canines, and yet such menace was there radiating from that expression that none could bring themselves to breathe once they gazed upon it, least of all when they took notice of their Mentor’s eyes being ever so gently closed as her body trembled in incandescent fury.

“My darling Flowers,” the words were spoken as softly and delicately as a petal blowing in a breeze, so delicate and gentle that if one were not in possession of senses as heightened as those of the Flowers, they would be unable to register but the faintest of exhales.

There was a brief pause, as a stillness before a storm, the faint breath of their beloved Mentor that of the first breeze of what would soon become a hurricane, the gentle caress that carried upon it the aroma of death and destruction soon to be made reality as nature unleashed its wrath.

And then the stillness vanished as the storm broke.

Not with a bang, nor with a boom came forth the storm, no, instead its arrival was heralded by red eyes opening as twin scarlet stars as there once more came forth that gentle voice, though now it came not as petals in a breeze, but as the breeze of death itself.

“Get her.”

The doors were once more flung open as the Garden vanished through them in blurs that the naked eye could not track, their Mentor joining them after, in a blur of movement to fast for the eye to track, she grabbed a dry robe of a darker color and threw it over her drenched attire, the process taking her not but a few seconds before she joined her Flowers in the hunt.

Line Break

It said a great deal that this was not the craziest idea that Persephone had ever had.

Indeed, compared to facing down Corpseborn armed with nothing but her Potestats, Shackles, that she was barely skilled with at the time, and two Sinners that had no reason being on the battlefield at all and instead should have been in a classroom or bundled up in their rooms, throwing someone into a pool was actually relatively tame.

That the ‘someone’ in question was the Mentor of the Garden and one of the most lethal S-Rank Sinners in all of Dis, especially given the effectiveness of the most recent treatments in regards to her mania, was where the madness of this idea came from.

In her own defense however, she was not particularly well known for her ideas being what one would refer to as sane on a good day, and when one factored in that she had been too busy to do anything other than binge on caffeine and crash when it ran out for several days as she coped with stress levels that rivaled the mania levels of a Black Ring, it was really no surprise that she would wind up in a situation like this.

Granted, at least a small portion of responsibility had to be laid at the feet of Dr. Iron, as if she had not been griping to Anne about how Coquelic had been neglecting exercising in favor of lounging around in her room, then the idea would not have come to her.

Of course, the fact that she wanted to get some manner of revenge on Conquelic for her having put a collar that read ‘Property of The Garden: Hush Do Not Touch,’ that she had been unable to remove for several days, alongside of the rather sizable amount of marks that had been left on her just before an important meeting, was likewise a factor into her decision.

Granted she was also just feeling like fucking with the Garden a bit before they actually got to fucking.

With a shake of her head, Persephone jolted herself from her thoughts as she quickly dived into a hallway, whirling about on her heel to fling open a door to temporarily bar her pursuers path, an indignant squawk echoing behind her as someone rammed into the door.

Seeing the hallways splitting in 2 ahead of her, Persephone quickly darted down the right path, the sign reading ‘Common Area’ giving her an idea, one that very soon proved to make many more members of the Garden let out yelps and cries of indignation and pain, some even ceasing the chase for a few moments as they tried to ease the aches that overwhelmed them.

The cause?

Persephone leading them straight into a field of building blocks, well known for the pain stepping on them caused, that Oliver and Letta were using to build houses for their plush animals, the pair barely having time to blink as the Chief kicked over one of the containers of blocks they had asked KawaKawa to bring them, just as she leaped over another one, whirling about to kick it over as well, before she dashed out the open door, nearly bowling over a returning KawaKawa in the process.

The trio paused for just a second before the door was flung open and the room filled with not only colored blurs and the scent of flowers, but also cries and howls of indignation that were joined with promises of vengeance as the Flowers continued their chase.

Though there were a few Flowers that broke off, pausing the hunt to help clear the way for the rest of their fellows and their Mentor to spare them the pain they went through, said Mentor and their fellows offering them respectful nods that none but they could see as they tore through the room a split second later.

Yet those that managed to avoid the hell of the building blocks were not spared the next torment the Chief had in store for them, for they had barely turned the corner in their pursuit when they noticed that the sprinklers were active in the hallway.

High speed movement met with slick floors and walls in a terrific display of chaos as several younger members were sent spiraling across the floor in indignant heaps, picking themselves up with curses grumbled under their breath as they tried to regain their footing and resume the chase, some of their senior fellowship causing to assist them in their efforts.

Most found themselves hauled to their feet by a blur of white as their Mentor seized their hands and lifted them to their feet faster than they could blink one after the other, never once breaking her own momentum as the chase soon resumed in full.

The next obstacle in their chase soon revealed itself, for now the hallway led to a storage area for recreational goods for the various Common Room and such that filled the prison, boxes and crates piled high with empty pallets resting against them, the towers casting ominous shadows under the flickering lights.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a playground for assassins.

However, with the Chief dodging and weaving between towers of crates and boxes, all while slamming pallets down behind her and occasionally knocking over the less fragile items, such as a tower of surplus pillows used during movie nights, on her pursuers, it soon became a nightmare.

And then several members had the brilliant idea of leaping atop the boxes and crates, trying to pounce down on their prey like a cat would a mouse, only to encounter another issue, that being that not all of the towers were exactly stable and thus it soon became a game of trying not to cause a domino effect that would take out both sides as they had to pause or stop the towers before they could fall before they rejoined the chase.

How long they spent dodging pallets and falling towers, or digging their fellows out of piles of stuffed animals and pillows, they had no true way of knowing, only that at some point the speakers had come alive with an announcement that echoed across the Prison.

“To all personnel, this is Adjutant Nightingale, please be advised that the Chief is currently engaged in a pursuit with the members of the Garden. While I have no knowledge of how this chase occurred, it is safe to assume that she has done something to warrant this chase. That said, please do not interfere in the ongoing pursuit and allow for nature to run its course.”

Persephone’s cry of ‘Traitor’ as she ducked into a slide under a tower before bolting out the door, was soon drowned out by the sound of what seemed to be someone laughing hysterically over the intercoms.

Said laughter soon growing to near hysterical levels as they arrived in the hallways near what the sinners and Staff had come to call the Bazaar, a makeshift marketplace ran by Sinners and staff alike, with lifts allowing for one to traverse to the upper layers and the multicolored tents and stalls, it seemed as though a miniature version of the Drifter’s Camp had been remade within the Prison.

Despite what one would think, Persephone had not been the one to create the sprawling marketplace, made of renovated cells converted to stores and tents, instead it seemed to have simply cropped up overnight at the hands of Sinners and staff alike, and with so many high profile Sinners backing it, along with her own boss, Persephone had allowed it to continue to exist, the place growing into what it was today.

And now the bustling marketplace found a storm sweeping through it.

Sinners and staff alike paused in what they were doing, both as a result of the message over the intercoms and as they saw the Chief run as though a legion of the Apostles of Ashes were on their heels, dodging and weaving around the various stalls and carts that some Sinners had set up as their own businesses and the Sinners and staff themselves in their flight.

As she deftly spun the dumbfounded form of Oak Casket, who had been talking to Dudu as they enjoyed some kebabs that had been made by one of their fellow Sinners but a moment earlier, and placing her in the path of the storm as Persephone plucked the kebab from Oak’s hand as she continued her flight.

The lady of the Romanesque Hall had barely had time to look at Dudu, her mouth opening to ask just what it was that had just occurred, before she found herself watching as blurs passed her by, the smell of flowers enveloping her alongside of the yelps of the stall owner as he found many of his kebabs plucked from him by the group, though a violet colored blur at least left him some Discoins to cover the kebabs.

Slowly blinking, Oak turned to look at Dudu and once more began to open her mouth to speak, only for a blur of white to race past her, seizing a kebab for herself and leaving some Discoins of her own, as the trio of the stall owner, Oak, and Dudu simply silently blinked at the scene for a moment before Oak reached out and plucked the last kebab for herself, the owner simply allowing her to as he tried to process just what had happened.

Soon they were joined in their confusion by Adela, who had been walking to her salon with Crache trailing behind her, or rather Crache was being dragged by Raven who was lecturing her in regards to how her hair was a mess of split ends and tangles due to her avoiding the Salon for so long.

That Crache had yet to slip away via her shadow manipulation was of course in no way related to the promise of a special new doll that the Bird Brained Journalist of Rustfire had made by Garofano especially for her.

Of course not, she simply had nothing else to do at the moment and wanted to get the bird brain off her case, not because she wanted a doll of-

“Sorry!”

“Wha-”

The trio had barely had time to register the familiar voice of Persephone apologizing for something, Crache having barely opened her mouth to ask what was going on, before she barreled through where they had been standing a moment ago nearly bowling them over had they not leapt out to the sides Crache pulling Raven down and onto the ground with her while Adela remained standing.

Crache found herself turning to look at Raven and Adela, the three sharing an open mouthed look of confusion for a moment before they found themselves swarmed by a blur of colors and scents, one of which passed by Crache close enough for a voice to fleetingly whisper into her ear-

“I hope you like the doll.”

Before they passed them by completely in their pursuit.

For a moment the three simply looked in the direction that the fleeting blurs and the chief had gone, before Adela managed to regain her composure and help the pair to their feet, softly murmuring under her breath as she faced the direction the storm had gone.

“I believe we now know what the announcement was about…Miss Inspector, what did you do this time?”

The thought of simply stealing the doll and returning to her room was more tempting than ever to Crache at that moment…though the idea of following along and watching the chaos was also tempting.

Of course, the bird had to start dragging her again as she mumbled under her breath about the articles she was going to be penning later on.

She really should have just stolen the damn doll.

And why could she hear someone eating popcorn over the intercoms!?

In The Command Center

Of course she had no way of knowing that the command center of the bureau was currently watching the scene of the chief blitzing across the bazaar with the Garden in hot pursuit, several sinners that had been nearby doing various tasks having dropped in to watch the show as well.

Nightingale had her face in her palms as she peaked through her fingers at the scene of her superior, watching as she ducked over a stand that was selling records and tapes of bands both current and long passed, Joan and Peggy diving to the sides as the Chief nearly bowled into them in her mad dash.

The pair had barely gotten to their feet before they had to dive back down for cover as the Garden passed over them, Peggy having stood to start yelling at them before a white blur seemed to leap atop her shoulders and then launch off them and over the stall, sending the rapper sprawling back onto the ground in the process.

Snickers and outright laughter rang through the room at the scene, said laughter only growing as the Chief’s next stunt was to seize Hella, who had been arguing with EMP over something trivial while Ninety-Nine watched on as she munched on a slice of watermelon, and then toss the pipe wielding regenerator in the direction of the Garden.

That she had the audacity to say “Go get the Hella, Ninety-Nine,” as though the now currently screaming Sinner was a stick and the dumbfounded berserker was a dog only furthered the laughter, especially when said berserker indeed charged after her sun, forcing the Garden to part like the Red Sea so as to avoid being trampled by her.

Hella’s indignant scream was drowned out by the laughter that echoed within the Command Center, granted that was not the only sound that drowned out the screech, as there was also-

*Crunch*

Nightingale let out a low groan as she turned her head to see the form of Shalom calmly sitting in a chair and watching the screen, a small bowl of popcorn resting on her lap that she was snacking on as she watched the screen with rapt attention.

Where she had obtained it, Nightingale had no idea, though she suspected the form of Rahu, who was standing behind Shalom, was at least partly to blame for it, though it could have likewise been Faye, who was also busy cackling with delight as Persephone pulled off a surprising feat of acrobatics by leaping off one of the platform and landing on the one across from it, tucking into a roll that she soon sprung up from to resume her sprint.

“You have to admit,” came the amused voice of Langley, who had taken a seat and was watching the show that was playing out on the screen as well, “the rookie has some decent moves.”

The spider chuckled to herself as she saw said Rookie make another dash for the edge of the platform, this time latching onto a pipe and sliding down it, launching herself off when she reached the base and seizing onto another one that she dropped down from and onto the edge of another platform that she dropped from and onto the one below it, quickly bolting once more.

“Do we know what she did to get the Garden after her like this?” Cinnabar asked from where she was standing beside Nightingale, seemingly trying to avoid looking directly at the screen for longer than a few moments as she tried to maintain her own professional persona and not give in to the desire to either laugh at her superior’s antics or go and assist her in escaping the Storm pursuing her.

“Not at the moment, no. But knowing her it had to be something that warrants this.” Nightingale said in answer, sighing at the end as she saw Persephone race through a tent where Serpent had been putting on a performance, emerging from the other end a second later with a rather large snake sticking its head out of the opening as if to curse at her before it turned back around.

That said movement coincided with several of the Garden’s Flowers lunging out of other openings in the tent or making their own as they broke off from the hunt and picked up the pace until they were certain they were away from the main tent before they returned to the chase, was surely neither here nor there.

“Should I go and help the Chief?” Came the ever so calm voice of Hecate, the young woman having found herself stopped from aiding her Chief previously by Nightingale, the Adjutant claiming that the Chief needed to learn her lesson.

Though she did not understand what the lesson was and why it involved the Chief being chased, she had been told it was for the Chief’s own good and she had been barred from leaving when she tried earlier, and as such resolved herself to simply watching the screen and waiting to see if she would be needed.

Though perhaps now was her chance to be of use and earn praise from the Chief and perhaps even a head-

“No, she made her bed, let her lie in it.” Langley said from where she was sitting, with Nightingale and Shalom voicing their own agreements soon thereafter, the words making Hecate turn her gaze downwards as she let out a quiet “oh,” before she found herself feeling a hand patting her head.

Blinking in confusion, even as she enjoyed the action though it did not come from her Chief, she looked up to see Zoya smiling down at her, the Wolf Of Syndicate ruffling her hair a bit more before she lifted her hand up and pulled the smaller sinner against her with a one armed embrace, Hecate silently enjoying the contact as Zoya took in the scene on the screen.

“The twig’s detective,” Shalom did not deign to respond to the nickname with anything but a faux smile, “managed to get in touch with her lover in the Garden,” Zoya continued as she moved into the room, guiding Hecate to sit beside her as she took a seat, resting her boots on the desk in front of her, much to Nightingale’s annoyance.

“Apparently the Chief decided to have some fun by tossing their boss into a pool and then bolting, the only reason she was able to learn that is because her girl was one of the ones in charge of herding their brats.” Zoya finished, her lips forming into an amused grin as she saw the way everyone in the room went still, several soon giving way to chuckles and outright laughter as others, such as Nightingale, facepalmed even harder.

The sight of Shalom freezing in place, a piece of popcorn falling from her hand and onto her dress as Rahu turned her head to the side, her shoulders shaking as she fought the urge to laugh, was something Zoya would recall for years to come.

The dumbfounded look Hecate was giving her would be equally as treasured.

“Why Persphone…just…why?” Nightingale managed to choke out as Langley succumbed to laughter, throwing her head back and laughing with delight, her hat almost slipping onto the ground had Hecate not caught it for her and placed it back on her head.

Yet Zoya soon found her own laughter interrupted as she heard Shalom, having let out a few delicate chuckles of her own as she sorted her thoughts, speak up towards her, the woman’s eyes as cold an iced razor blade as they met her own.

“And why is it that Christina would be in contact with you?” The joviality in the room, even with the scene of the Chief spilling several buckets of paint that Lisa was using as she made a painting of the bazaar, and her promptly dodging a bucket the painter had thrown at her as McQueen tried to restrain her, failed to stifle the intensity of the sudden query, an intense bubble forming around them as they met each others gazes, the rest, bar a few, still lost in humorous

That Rahu had ceased her battle with laughter in favor of turning an inquisitive stare towards her as well, her hands clenching ever so slightly as she eyed the wolf, only further heightened the tension in their small bubble.

Yet instead of displaying any form of unease, Zoya instead smirked at the former Hush and her bodyguard, casually reclining in the chair as she turned her gaze to the screen, her smile widening as she saw the chief call out to Horo and have her toss her back on to one of the upper platforms of the bazaar, the lack of an answer making Shalom and Rahu narrow their eyes at her before she at last replied.

“Well, your little detective wanted some advice on how to treat her girlfriend, and decided that I was a better source of it than you. After all, I don’t need a special power to get someone in my bed.” Zoya could not stop her smile from growing as she saw Shalom tense and narrow her gaze at her.

For a moment, there was silence as the former Hush of Paradeisos and the Wolf of Syndicate met each others gazes, before at last Shalom offered a faux smile once again, her frigid gaze developing a hint of something that Zoya could not name as she turned back to the screen, speaking so softly Zoya was certain only her and Rahu could hear it, Hecate likely being unable to as she fought to keep Langley from falling from her chair.

“Oh Chris, you and I are going to need to have a chat aren’t we.” Her words, made Zoya feel slightly worried for the detective, though she soon found her attention shifting back to the screen as she saw the Chief-

Both the Wolf and the Hush joined the Spider and the Adjutant, along with all of the others present within the Command Center, in gaping at the screen, Hecate being stopped but by Nightingale and Langley having firms grips on her shoulders as they all saw the scene of-

The Bazaar.

It is not everyday a chance like this comes, a moment in time where one is permitted to witness one of the most sublime and wondrous scenes that the natural world has to offer, especially within a jungle of concrete and steel.

Already those that had gathered to watch the scene in awe had begun to record and make note of this momentous occasion, for they were among the most privileged and honored few that were permitted to see this magnificent sight before them.

And such a scene it was!

For there before their eyes was a species of Homo Sapiens that most did not believe to exist, indeed there was before them a breathtaking view of a Wild Woman of Minos, her hair blowing backwards as she swung across a great ravine upon a length of colored cloth, her lips parted as she gave voice to the mating cry of her people.

“Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!”

Ah, such a wondrous sound it was!

Indeed, she continued her mating cries even as she let go of the length of cloth and landed on the platform below her, tucking into a roll and springing up into a sprint as she bolted down a nearby hallway, many cheering her display of acrobatics as her mates echoed her cries and began finding ways down to pursue her.

Though a white blur simply leaped across the divide and mimicked Persephone’s earlier movements of tucking into a roll before springing up and resuming the chase, her fellows already on her heels.

Ah, the wonders of nature.

At the same moment as the gathered Sinners and staff were ruminating on the wondrous sight they had just been witness to, Persephone had barely rounded one of the corners when she noted the form of Hamel walking towards her.

Seemingly lost in her own world, as was the norm for the first recorded sinner, though her eyes gained a light to them as she beheld the chief racing towards her, though it was soon swallowed by confusion as Persephone passed her by, only managed to give voice to-

“Sorry Hamel, I’ll dance with you later, have to run right now bye!”

Before she resumed her mad sprint.

The first recorded sinner simply blinking in confusion as she saw the chief continue racing down the hallway, her keen ears registering the sound of Lynn and Deren letting out twin yelps as they were almost bowled over as they left the room they had been taking her pictures in, before the noise was eclipsed as a storm of colors and flowery fragrances enveloped her.

For a moment she simply stood there and tried to process what she had seen, only to shake her head as she decided to head off to the cafeteria, her curiosity drowned out by the promise of ice cream that Deren had made her.

Already she could hear the director and the photographer hurrying to catch up with her, the pair's conversation on what was going on was drowned out by her own thoughts on whether she should try a new flavor today or not.

A rather loud crash that echoed from a distant corridor jolted her for but a moment, long enough for her to silently pray that her dance partner would survive whatever it was that they had brought down upon themselves this time before she resumed her trek.

Said crash having originated from the Chief having toppled over a stack of boxes to try and buy herself some time, quickly darting through a side door and taking off at a sprint down another hallway, though soon she found herself stopping as she almost ran headfirst into a wall.

Eyes widening, Persephone began to look around for any potential escape routes that she could find, only to be met with nothing but smooth walls, and a growing smell of flowers.

“Well…shit.” Persephone mumbled under her breath, her worries amplified as a reply echoed down the corridor in the form of-

“Indeed, my dear little Chief.”

Gulping slightly, she turned to see the form of Coquelic standing at the end of the hallway, smiling at her as she began to advance towards her, the lights and her hair casting her face in shadows as she advanced.

Beyond her, Persephone noticed the Garden having cut off any potential retreat, many looking winded, many more looking irritated at her due to her stunts, and some were looking at her with what could best be described as a mixture of satisfaction at catching her, and pity at what was to come as Coquelic seized her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her to meet her gaze as she leaned in.

“Do you have anything you want to say my dear Flower?” Coquelic purred to her, lips delicately ghosting her ear for but a second before she pulled back to meet her gaze, her hands shifting such that one rested on her cheek and the other on her neck, scarlet eyes boring into hers for several moments as she patiently awaited her reply, nails lightly digging into her skin as the Mentor thrummed her fingers against her neck as she awaited her reply.

Taking a moment to gather herself and steel her resolve, the Chief of Minos offered Coquelic her best smile as she wrapped her arms around her and gave her a tight hug as she leaned in to place her lips against her ear as she whispered to her.

“Before you punish me, I have one thing to say,” She breathed, sin coating her voice near the end, her smile softening as she felt the way Coquelic relaxed and leaned into her embrace on instinct, the scent of sweat and the floral of a flowers whose name it seemed none knew that oft clung to the Chief gracing the Mentor as she waited for her to continue.

“You always look so beautiful when you are soaking wet. I wonder, are you still wet for me?” Her words made the Flowers gape at her, with Sumire placing her face in her palms as Garofano began to chuckle, both them and their fellows wearing the beginnings of a blush on their faces as they silently agreed with Persephone’s words.

For a moment there was silence, and then it died as Coquelic wordlessly tightened her grip on the Chief, leaning in to let her lips ghost against her ear once more as she spoke aloud for all to hear in a faux whisper.

“Oh my dear, I hope your schedule is clear for…hmmm…what do you all say, the next 4 days or so sound good?” Her words made Persephone gulp slightly, as she saw the gleam that came alight in the eyes of each of the Flowers, each of them sharing a silent conversation with each other in glances before Garofano spoke up on their behalf.

“Let’s make it an even week, shall we Mentor? After all, our dear Chief is going to be a very busy bee and is going to need quite the time to recover.” The smile she wore was as sin coated as the words that flowed from her lips, her pupils were blown as idea after idea played through her mind, each one more delicious than the last.

Persephone felt herself pale slightly when she saw the way Garofano licked her lips as she eyed her, Sumire blushing scarlet next to her as her own thoughts began to run wild as well, with Gekkabijin giving voice to the Flowers thoughts as they began to enclose around her.

“Don’t worry Chief, we’ll be gentle…for now.”

The laughter of the Flowers drowned out Persephone’s cries for mercy as she was spirited away to the Garden’s chambers once more, not to emerge for many a long day, though at the very least, she was able to insure that herself and Coquelic got the exercise they needed.

Something that was readily apparent when she was found tucked into her bed by Nightingale, her freshly sewn clothes resting on top of her dresser with intricate designs of various flowers stitched into them alongside of the repair work needed to make them wearable once more after the Garden had torn them from her form.

Of course, it was not just flowers that were stitched into the clothes, for there, sewn into the collar of her shirt and again into the rear of her pants, was something that made Nightingale sigh upon seeing them as she put the clothes up for Persephone.

The stitching that elicited the response?

“Property of The Garden.”

Upon learning of said writing Langley managed to make a not so small amount of discoins, enough to fill her hat near to the brim, as a result of several bets she had made in the Command Center, a more than fitting final blessing to mark the end of the great Garden Chase of the MBCC.

Line Break

A low sigh left Christina’s lips as she entered her room, one hand beginning to search for her lightswitch as the other began to pull her deerstalker hat from her head and rest it on a-

“Hello Chris.”

Christina would swear to her final breath that she had not screamed when the voice suddenly cut through the gloom and caressed her ears, she had merely released a sound of surprise at the shock of hearing the oh so familiar voice echo from within her room.

Gulping as she felt her blood begin to run cold, Christina turned to where the voice had come from, hearing the sudden *Click* of a lamp being turned on, the light illuminated the form of Shalom sitting in a chair beside her desk, the detective's spare coat resting on her lap as Shalom’s own coat was draped over her shoulders.

Now, while the sight of shalom being in her quarters was already cause for slight concern in the detective, it was the gleam in her eyes that made her truly certain that this was not going to be a pleasant experience for her, something that was further cemented as she felt the towering form of Rahu rest her hand on her shoulder from behind her, somehow having snuck up on her without her knowledge.

“I believe we need to have a little chat about your choice in sources of advice for dating, now don’t we my dear detective?”

It was a faux question, the smile that did not quite reach her eyes and the way she was looking at her told her all she needed to know, and yet still the valiant detective was not one to go down without a fight, and so she summoned forth her resolve and courageously spoke aloud-

“Thistle was the one to make the claim about you needing to use your power on people to make them fall in love with you, and she was also the one to recommend we go to someone else like Zoya for advice since neither of us really know anything about this, and she was also the one who suggested we go to those with more experience before we try anything and-”

Her valiant efforts to throw her lover under the bus and spare herself a lecture were rewarded with a low chuckle from Shalom, the former Hush patting her lap as she smiled at Christina, Rahu letting go of her shoulder and allowing for her to move to sit on the ground beside Shalom and rest her head on her lap, silently accepting her fate.

“Oh I know my dear, she and I are going to have a conversation later on regarding the matter, but for now,” Shalom delicately lifted Christina’s head to where their eyes could meet, before she continued, “We are going to have a conversation about courtship and the necessity of obtaining said information from a trusted and reliable source.”

Christina knew she was doomed, especially when she saw Shalom lift up her tablet and turn it so that they could both face it, the image depicted on it making her squeak and Rahu choke out a yelp of her own.

“Let’s start with the ins and outs of flirting shall we? We will be using Rahu and myself as the study material so please pay close attention Chris, there will be a test afterwards.” As though her words had not made her pale and Rahu blush enough, the way she looked over her shoulder at her shadow covered bed, smiling as she called out-

“That goes for you as well my dear Thistle, I need to know you can be trusted with My Detective, after all.”

Her heart now beginning to hammer in her chest and her blood running as frigid as the arctic, Christina turned to look beyond Shalom, and realized that there, bound on her bed like a trussed up turkey, was her girlfriend.

The same girlfriend she had just thrown under a bus to try and evade this lecture.

‘Well…I’m fucked.’ The detective thought to herself, only for her thoughts to seemingly be read by the woman whose lap her head was resting on as she spoke up with that same gentle and loving voice that Chris had come to cherish over their time together as she carded her fingers through her hair.

“We will cover proper and safe sexual intercourse and aftercare at a later date my dear,” Rahu let out a yelp of shock at the same time Chris and thistle did the same, well as much of a yelp as one with a gag shaped like an apple could in Thistle’s case.

That Shalom looked down at her and, with a wondrous smile on her face, proceeded to tell her, “Oh, and I will be there to supervise you two during that practical exam as well Chris, Rahu will be there as well so don’t worry. I have already planned out a demonstration for you, perhaps I will be able to coerce Coquelic into assisting with it as well come that time…hmmm…” Shalom trailed off for a moment, perhaps unaware or uncaring of the sanguine blush adorning the faces of the other women in the room.

“Now then, let’s start with ‘Establishing a Dialogue for Romance’ shall we?” Shalom smiled again as she resumed stroking Chris’s hair as though she was an extremely terrified kitten, as she pressed the play button on a video of her and Rahu.

Silently, Chris cursed the Wolf of Syndicate, and she knew that Thistle shared her sentiments, perhaps Rahu did as well given the atomic blush she wore and the way she seemed to be doing her damndest to blend in with the shadows and avoid starting at the terminal in Shalom’s hands.

As the video began to play, Chris knew that she was in for a long and painful ride, but at least she would not be suffering alone.

Fin

The English name for the Gekkabajin flower that is Gekka’s namesake.

Well my friends, this makes it 3 acts this play of ours has been going on for, each relatively short by our standards…so how about we spice things up a bit with the next chapter eh?

It will likely take quite a while for us to complete it, and for that we apologize, but we hope to see you all there when it comes time for the curtain to rise on that part of the story.

With all of that said, we would like to give a huge shoutout to JimBoReee on Ao3 for their wonderful opinions and thoughts on this chapter, they are as always a godsend and we encourage you all to go and take a look at their works when you get the chance.

Till next time, stay safe and take care.

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