Shattering Humanity-Chapter 285: Setting Off Alarms
"By not adoring the worthy, people will not fall into dispute.
By not valuing the hard to get objects, people will not become robbers.
By not seeing the desires of lust, one’s heart will not be confused.
Therefore the governing of the saint is to empty one’s mind, substantiate one’s virtue, weaken one’s worldly ambition and strengthen one’s essence.
He lets the people to be innocent of worldly knowledge and desire, and keeps the clever ones from making trouble with their wits.
Act naturally without desire, then everything will be accomplished in its natural order." -Tao Te Ching Chapter 3
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[Erebus City Shopping Center]
In the center of the newly rebuilding society of apocalypse survivors, there are two seperate sections. The shopping center, and the outer Erinyes territory government building.
While waiting for MamMon to return, Nephilim has taken the small party of young adults to the selection of shops.
Lustfully nefarious Bethany is relentlessly dragging both Isfet and Ichythis into a girls clothing store.
Next to the same store, while sitting in the bright autumn sun, and SeiõrSnow falling all around them, Nephilim, Tristan, and Stephanie are sitting at a small table, eating ice cream.
Nephilim has a chocolate scoop in a waffle cone while Tristan and Stephanie both have mint chocolate chip in a small styrofoam cup.
Tristan and Stephanie both take a bite from their spoons and close their eyes as they enjoy the sweet treat.
Stephanie: "Mmm!
Thank you so much for buying us ice cream, General Nephilim!"
Tristan(nods): "Thank you sir, next time I’ll pay for us."
Nephilim raises his hand while licking the frozen chocolate from a waffle cone.
Nephilim: "Nonsense, as long as you two continue providing me proof true love still exists somewhere in this world, the bill will always be on me, dear Tristan and Stephanie."
Stephanie blushes while smiling with Tristan and they all go back to enjoying the pleasures of a less Icemen intrusive world.
An excited, small child pulling their caregiver into the ice cream shoppe by the hand makes Stephanie smile.
After a few bites she stops and looks up at the partly cloudy sky. A flake of SeiõrSnow falls down upon her nose and disappears before she can wipe it away as if it were just another flake of condensed H2O. It confuses her, not yet knowing about the appropriately confusing form of Seiõr.
Tristan can sense his love’s thought process and looks over at her with the spoon in his mouth.
Tristan: "Everything okay over there Steph?"
Stephanie looks up at the SeiõrSnow falling all around and then at the small condensed piles conveniently out of the way of humanity’s walking paths.
Stephanie: "It’s just...
General Nephilim sir..."
Nephilim, almost finished with his ice cream looks over mid lick.
Nephilim: "Yes?
Is something the matter, sweet Stephanie?"
She shakes her head and continues scanning her surroundings of the visible pure white Seiõr.
Stephanie: "As explained by Madame MamMon, this snow isn’t actually snow...correct?"
Nephilim(nods): "That would be 100% accurate.
Queen MamMon gave me a detailed explanation of this particularly queer weather happening all around the globe.
She told me it is being created by someone so advanced at Seiõr control and techniques, neither her nor any of her sisters can identify or locate the original caster."
Tristan is now intrigued by the discussion. He too looks up at the blue sky, the SeiõrSnow gently falling despite the cloud patterns.
Tristan: "...’Original caster’?
So it isn’t one of the DæMons making it snow all over the world?
But I thought they were the strongest Seiõr users in the world?"
Nephilim is completing the cone and enjoys the final bite before he answers.
Nephilim: "When it comes to Queen MamMon, I wouldn’t be so quick to make such assumptions young Tristan."
The young couple tilt their heads in confusion, looking across the little outdoor table at the highly respected man.
Nephilim: "They very much still could be, in their own right, the strongest creatures on this planet.
But when it comes to avoiding the strongest creatures, the most clever prey is usually the best at hiding to survive."
Tristan’s heterospecies eyes widen and he puts his pointer knuckle to his bottom lip. Thinking.
Nephilim smiles, appreciating the spark he has ignited in the young soldier’s mind.
Nephilim: "Did my words get the gears turning, young Tristan?"
Tristan: "Well, I was just thinking, maybe one of her sisters is lying.
If that’s the case, which one, and why?"
His wife to be interjects after taking a bite of ice cream.
Stephanie: "But wouldn’t the others be able to piece together who it was though?
I have a feeling, with how powerful Madame MamMon is, her sisters can’t be that far off from her level."
MamMon DæMon: "No, I am the strongest of all my sisters."
Stephanie: "Eeeep!"
{5 Minutes Ago}
Inside the changing room to the girls clothing store, soft music plays on the speakers while an excited Bethany looks like the child over enthusiastic about wanting ice cream.
She is hopping back and forth between two closed curtains.
Bethany: "Ohhh Ikkyyy. Are you done in there?"
She is slowly peeling back the curtain to get a look, but juuuust as the sky blue human eye is about to adjust to the inside, Ichythis yanks the curtain open revealing her new threads.
Ichythis: "What are you doing?"
The ex-lobster fisherwoman, ex-cop is now wearing a daisy dukes tied style flannel shirt exposing her 6-pack abdominals. Tight stretch jeans with blue running sneakers.
However, to distract from the clean new clothes, still tied around her bicep, is a blood stained orange bandana.
While Bethany rubs her drooling face against Icythis’s abs, the eye rolling woman lights another cigarette. One of the nervous workers shuffles over to the tall, physically built, intimidating smoker.
Store Worker: "Uh-Um, excuse me you can’t sm-"
Ichythis shoots a look over with her single red eye piercing through the scared young lady and the frightened worker quickly leaves the dressing room.
Detaching herself from the lecherous girl, Ichythis’ walks to a vent, takes a single drag, and blows it through the ventilation system.
Bethany is still drooling over the sexy, fit, woman’s new style and shakes her head back to consciousness.
Bethany: "Okay, I’ll be right out!"
She grabs a pile of clothes and quickly runs into the the same space Icythis had just exited, without closing the curtain. It is at the same time Isfet pulls opens the curtain she was behind, revealing her new outfit.
It is almost the same as Icythis’. Contrasting with different colored abdominal exposing flannels and shoes but also her left eye patch.
Isfet’s single optical sensor accidentally peeks into Bethany’s changing area and the new member immediately blushes, closing the curtain for the promiscuous young woman.
Bethany: "Ohhhh Izzy!
Don’t be so shy!
We all have the same thinnng!
I’ll show you all of mine, if you show me all of yours<3!"
Ignoring her, Isfet walks over to her smoking buddy and takes the handoff of the lit cig.
Isfet: *inhales* "Are you sure this outfit is okay? *exhales*
I can change."
She hands the cigarette back over to the taller woman and shakes her head while inhaling.
Ichythis: "Don’t worry about it...*exhales*"
Isfet notices the bloody bandana tied around Icythis’ arm.
Isfet: "If you want, I’m sure we could find you a place to wash that cloth you have around your arm."
Ichythis grabs at the clear and obvious memento, tightly squeezing.
Isfet: "I’m sorry if that upset you...I-"
Ichythis: "No it’s fine.
Really. It’s just...
This was my sister’s bandana.
She- she died last night in that invasion."
Isfet’s singular eye widens and begins to moisten.
Isfet: "I’m so sorry!
I- I didn’t know."
Ichythis takes a drag from her fag and blows it through the ventilation once again.
Ichythis: "It’s fine. I don’t blame you.
From what that woman MamMon had told us, there’s someone on the enemy side to blame.
That’s who I’m going to get back for her retribution."
She takes another hit while Isfet tries to process the relatable feeling.
Isfet: "Laban is on the opposing side as well.
She was the one who mercilessly murdered my pregnant sister, Edom.
Ever since I was accepted into her group, I was dead set determined to kill her, and I still am.
No matter what.
At any costs.
Even if it’s my own life, as long as Laban Daemon is dead or suffering, I don’t care."
Ichythis: "It seems we both have more in common than we thought, huh?
After all these cigarettes shared, we’re finally able to figure out more about one another, heh."
Isfet: "Hehe, I guess you’re right."
Suddenly the fire alarm goes off and the ceiling sprinkler system begins drizzling down on everyone and everything inside the store.
Bethany: "Awww, how did you two know right away!?!"
From the dressing room, Bethany comes out in a cute two piece bikini with comedic heart eyes.
Bethany: "I didn’t know you two were so enthusiastic about me changing into this as I was?!?
You know, we can go skinny dipping at the beach before it gets too cold."
