2nd CARD › “The Fool & The Firecracker”
Three days had passed since Gio Jaeger, the Wild Card, went head-to-head against the Diamond King, Victor Ferris. In three days the news of the battle had spread all throughout New Eden, causing a stir unlike any the city had seen for quite some time. After all, for a King to engage in battle was a rare sight – for the King to lose said battle was practically unheard of.
It didn’t reflect well on the Houses. It created a sense that they were weak. It also didn’t help Gio and his business, as he hardly wanted the news he fought and defeated a King to spread, which would create panic and fanfare.
The situation had grown so dire that Gio and his partner, Sera Noel, were forced to stay away from their home for the time being. Their only course of action was to try and hide until the heat died down. As such, they found themselves hanging out at a familiar place for them both. A place far away from most of the city and secluded for just a select few.
That home away from home was none other than a run-down tavern known as Ridge’s Bar.
The smell of stale beer and old peanuts permeated the dingy hangout, but it was a safe haven for the most part. The entire structure was pretty worn down with much of the wooden building needing to be replaced. Chairs and tables were rickety and falling apart. A few ceiling fans would sputter before a swift smack got them spinning again.
Even so, the drinks were cold and the food was warm. It was a place of comfort and familiarity.
Gio’s sunglasses were folded up, resting on the collar of his white undershirt. His eyes were closed and he was noticeably out of it, but he took the time to reach forward and take hold of his tall glass of golden liquid. A nice, cold beer, seemed to be just the thing he needed to put his mind at ease.
“Oi, why not try drinking a cola instead?” Sera’s snarky tone chimed in from a few bar stools down.
“.. Why don’t you try drinking some milk instead of that root beer, eh? Might do your body some good.” Gio sipped his beer while developing the slightest of smirks.
“The hell do you mean by that, jackass?! This body o’ mine is perfectly fine as is! If you don’t watch it, I’m going to shove that glass down your thro—”
“You two sure never change.” A third, strong yet gentle voice, came into play.
It belonged to the barkeep. A rather husky, heavyset man, with enough body hair to make an ape feel a bit underdressed. Unfortunately for the barkeep that hair wasn’t atop his head, where he was forced to wield a comb over with what little bit of cocoa colored fur he had left.
The barkeep was none other than Ridge, or rather Richard ‘Ridge’ Roberts, the owner and namesake of the tavern.
“Why don’tcha butt out, Ridge? Gio’s askin’ for it and I’m ready to make ’em regret it!” Sera was fired up, as usual.
“You should listen to Old Man Ridge. I don’t think you and those mosquito bites are quite ready for—” But Gio wasn’t going to get to finish that, as a wild flying stool soon flashed into focus.
In a true display of skill, Gio narrowly got his beer glass back atop the bar and to safety – but unfortunately the stool impacted him hard, sending him spiraling off to the floor.
At least the beer survived.
“.. I don’t know why I try with these two.” Ridge’s voice trailed off into a heavy sigh. He had become far too use to the antics of Gio and Sera.
Sera took the opportunity to take Gio’s now vacant seat, and his beer, which she casually poured into the bar sink with an accompanying chuckle. Gio could do nothing but attempt to count the number of birds circling his head.
“I swear he never learns!” Sera was seemingly talking to herself, but Ridge gave a reaffirming nod. “I half expected him to have some brains by now. I think those shades of his are cutting off the blood flow to his brain or something.”
Sera then reached down the bar where she had been sitting previously and brought her own drink, an ice cold root beer resting in a brown bottle, to rest upon her lips. She slowly enjoyed every second that she was able to have with her ultimate beverage of choice.
“Nothing beats an ice cold, heaven-upon-your-lips root beer. No sir!” She smiled happily as she continued to drink, ignoring the incapacitated Gio as best she could.
Though, as she ignored him, she couldn’t help the nostalgia that seemed to awaken within her. Specifically, she remembered the time that she and Gio first met. It was right here at Ridge’s bar and the situation wasn’t entirely different from the present one.
The bar was in the same shape back then, with the same sounds and smells. The drinks tasted the same and the food was still subpar.
Not to mention, the two so-called ‘partners’ seemed to be at odds just as much as now.
It was perhaps why the two continued to have such a rocky relationship to this day, just one year after their initial encounter…
« — »
“Where the hell’s my root beer?!” The familiar voice of Sera hadn’t changed much in a year. Even then she was a firecracker, ready to go off at a moment’s notice. “It’s been well over five minutes. Barkeep!”
Slamming her fists on the table caused her pink pigtails to sway. She was obviously upset, but she felt more than justified. To take so long for a simple beverage order when she was the lone patron was ludicrous.
The barkeep, Ridge, looked about the same back then as he did today.
Well, maybe he was a bit pudgier around the waste back then.
“Apologies, Miss. We’ve got to get some from the warehouse out back. My part-timer is back there as we speak, bringing in the new shipment. Root beer isn’t a common order. Though, perhaps…” His voice trailed off. He wouldn’t admit it to a customer but his employee was taking his sweet time.
“Screw it, I’ll go get it myself.” Sera was up on her feet and heading towards the employee’s entrance before Ridge could even muster a single word.
Being at Ridge’s wasn’t really a choice for Sera at the time. She had just made it into New Eden for the first time in years and had simply wanted to grab a refreshment before she dove deeper into the city. Though, instead of being on her way, she found herself being disrespected in a rundown bar that hadn’t seen better days in at least ten years.
With head held high and pigtails bouncing back and forth, she blew past the doorway and straight into the alleyway out back. From there it was simply a hop, skip, and jump, away from the storehouse. With or without the assistance of the barkeep she would soon have her treasured root beer.
“So much for the service here. It really does blo—” She froze.
She didn’t move nor breath.
Shock was holding her tightly in place.
What she saw sent her spiraling deep into despair.
Hunched over a splintered crate of premium NEB root beer was the oozing mess that must have been the hired help Ridge referred to before. The part-timer was clinging to the now empty box like a life raft, with the shattered bottles and puddles of root beer before him serving as the swaying seas.
He did seem to have a single bottle of something with him, though it was filled with something quite a bit stronger than a soft drink.
Sera’s despair quickly turned to rage. She had become the embodiment of the kraken, ready to strike down the man before her and drag him to Davy Jones’ Locker.
“The hell are you doing, you idiot?! T-T-That was perfectly good root beer! What the hell did you do to it?! Are you so much of a klutz you can’t walk five freaking steps and do your job?!” Her voice nearly cracked.
There was no response to the outburst.
She stepped forward and grabbed the part-timer’s shirt collar, clenched fists pulling him to her. The smell of spilt root beer mixing with what appeared to be whiskey made her gag repeatedly.
The man with messed about brown hair was none other than Gio Jaeger in all his drunken glory. He looked about the same as he did in the present day, albeit his clothes were an old and filthy black jacket with matching slacks and he clearly hadn’t seen a shower in days. The only part of him even somewhat clean appeared to be his sunglasses. The sight of those shades, being worn on what was a cloudy day, simply drove Sera’s rage further.
“You’re out here getting drunk off your ass?! Not to mention you’re wearing these stupid shades when the sun’s nowhere in sight?! You really are a moron, aren’t you?!” She reached for his sunglasses as she finished her shouting rant, but the man suddenly sprang to his feet on his own before she could get too close.
He nearly head butt her in the process.
“.. What? Ohhh, you wanted… Hic… beer. I ain’t got no beer, but I has some whishkey.” His words were a tumbling, slurred mess of the English language.
He couldn’t seem to even grasp what the situation was. He was obviously drunk, but that didn’t seem to matter much to Sera. She was fuming that her root beer lay scattered to the winds and that this lazy drunkard before her was the cause of the distress.
“.. Listen up, dumbass. I’m going to give you a chance to fix this situation. I’m sure there’s some more—” She was cut off by the sudden feeling of the drunkard’s hands atop her feminine peaks.
This part-timer was groping her breasts.
“.. Oh? I thought it was a woman talking to me… How disappointing…” Those words were potentially the last for the part-timer. In a move fueled by emotion he was sent flying through the wall of the storehouse by a swift roundhouse kick.
The girl clearly had some physical prowess.
Angry wasn’t the right word to describe Sera. Not now. Enraged, furious, those didn’t quite cut it either. It was highly possible that a word had yet to exist which could properly describe her feelings in that moment. She didn’t care what the collateral damage was, either. Sera was intent on inflicting an unheard of amount of suffering on Gio.
After the loud crash Ridge was quick to make his way out into the alleyway to join them.
He wasn’t pleased but he didn’t seem too angry at the damage to his property. Instead, he held a look of disappointment, much like a father would after hearing of his child’s bad test grade. This situation must not have been too new to Ridge.
His hands rested on his hips as he peered down at Gio, his demeanor showing his obvious displeasure.
“Sigh. What am I going to do with you, Gio? You’ve cost me more money in a day than I’d pay you in a month.” Ridge’s voice caught Sera’s attention.
“Oi, barkeep. I want the best filet knife you have. I’m going to cut off this guy’s balls.” Sera then reached into the shattered storehouse wall and pull the dazed Gio from the wreckage. “You’re going to beg for death before it’s over. Gio’s your name, huh? I’ll be sure to forget it before your funeral.”
One might think she was playing games or having a laugh. One might think she was simply trying to be intimidating. One might also be wrong. It seemed Sera was fully intent on striking down this drunkard.
Clearly the owner of the tavern couldn’t go and let his part-timer get murdered on the property, though.
“Well, Miss, as much as I wouldn’t mind being rid of a guy like that, he’s not all that bad. I did tell him no drinking until after work, though…” Ridge could only sigh further. The tone of his voice implied this wasn’t the first time this kind of thing had happened.
The young woman, clearly in her late teens, couldn’t help but let out a wild laugh.
“Oh? Who is this jackass, anyway? Pretty shit part-timer, but you certainly seem to know him a bit more personally.” Sera was calming down, if only momentarily.
Perhaps she thought by easing up a bit in front of Ridge she could still grab hold of a sharp object to introduce to Gio’s nether regions.
“He’s a part-timer. Has some business related to odd jobs, but in all honesty he just likes it to sound flashy. He’s just a part-timer. Sure does pack in the alcohol, though.” Ridge then held out a dark brown bottle for Sera, enticing her attention away from Gio. “Here you go, Miss. Found it stashed in the back of the icebox. Have yourself a cold one, on the house, and let me deal with him.”
Sera’s remaining anger fluttered away instantaneously, replaced by jubilation and victory fanfare. She dropped Gio like a sack of bricks and happily swiped for the root beer, stepping away back towards the bar’s interior with a smile across her face. She was in her own little heaven, barely even remembering the last few minutes.
“What am I going to do with you, Gio? You’re nothing but a mess these days.” Ridge reached down to help up his part-timer. “.. You’re just getting worse, too.” He grabbed Gio’s free hand and pulled him up in one swift motion.
“Thanksh Ridgey. Fell over or somethin’…” Gio struggled to stand on his own, but Ridge was able to keep him steady.
The situation seemed mostly handled and the barkeep began to help his part-timer back inside, but there was a sudden shift in the air. A heaviness that fell upon the bar and the lone three who occupied it.
A sobering sense of dread had crept up on them.
Both of the men became tense and halted their movement as the feeling around them grew more intense with each passing second.
Gio’s drinking hand twitched ever so slightly, causing that whiskey bottle he had clung to for so long to fall. It shattered violently on the uneven pavement beneath them.
“.. Old man Ridge, get inside and— Hic!— bolt those doors. Keep that girl safe for a… few.” The once slurred words had become mostly clear, though they seemed a bit forced when partnered with a stray hiccup.
Gio sounded as close to sober as one could expect, and for the first time, he was quite serious.
Ridge didn’t even bother to ask questions, leaving Gio on his own as he rushed to the doorway, but the emerging Sera caused him to slam on the brakes.
“Hey barkeep, what do you have to eat arou—”
“—Miss, inside, now!” He frantically picked the pace back up, racing towards Sera without giving her a chance to continue her request.
“What are you on about?” She demanded answers but she didn’t have to ask again at that point.
All she had to do was look above her as the sense of danger began to draw her eye.
Drops of a warm crimson liquid fell at her feet, the source of which were a series of fangs belonging to a charcoal colored beast staring back down at the trio. The hovering creature was already lowering itself towards three potential victims, trailing along thick strands of a white webbing covering the gap of the two buildings.
The monster appeared to be nearly six feet tall and at least three times as long. It was covered in what could only be described as scales coated with long bards of a hair-like material, which much like its fangs were stained with splashes of blood. The sectioned body and eight creeping legs showed that it was some kind of massive arachnid.
Quite simply, some sort of monstrous being from hell.
Or rather it was what the world had come to know as a Chaotic, a monster born from and focused only on chaos.
Sera never even had time to realize what was happening before she felt her body being lifted up off the ground by some unseen force. More specifically it was actually the wind, gathering her up and pulling her straight towards the spider-shaped Chaotic.
She didn’t even have the chance to scream, no change to struggle, before her figure spun wildly and flung upwards onto the roof of the rundown bar. A barely audible yelp was all that escaped her lips as her body hit the roof with a loud thud.
The Chaotic itself went springing from its webbing, flying up into the air and coming to rest just a few mere inches above the rooftop, hovering with its apparent air magic.
“Gio! The girl!” Ridge called out to his part-timer but there was no response.
Gio had already vanished from the alleyway.
Sera’s body rolled harshly across the rooftop, the Chaotic using the wind power it controlled to whip her back and forth without any mercy. It was quite literally attempting to turn her into pound beef. The force of the attacks were so quick that not even Sera, whom was rather skilled in the martial arts, could react.
The magical force of the Chaotic’s power was too much for someone with no supernatural powers to speak of. Not to mention the fact she had never faced off against such a beast.
Is this really how I’m going to die?! I haven’t even found him, damnit! Her mind tried to find a way out of the situation, but there was nothing. This isn’t it for me! I just need a grip and I can fight—
Her body hit the roof with such a force that the supports below splintered, caving in beneath her, but the body remained hovering and was tossed around some more on the bits of the roof still intact. The Chaotic was now closing in on its pray and preparing for the all-important kill shot.
“I’m really not a fan of eight legged freaks!” Gio’s voice, filled with annoyance, called out.
It was the cue for a sudden explosion of flames that slammed into the creature and sent it flying from its perch.
Sera’s body fell limp, freed from the grasp of the Chaotic.
Gio turned his attention to her, running and stumbling over to give her a once over and make sure she wasn’t seriously wounded.
“Hey, flatty, you still alive over there or should I forget about ya?” Gio’s semi-serious tone was finding a whole new way to mock while the situation worsened around them.
Sera wasn’t very amused.
“The hell?! Who do you think you’re calling flatty?! I’ll have you know I’m perfectly proportioned to be the perfect woman, you fucking creep!” Any fear or pain she had suddenly flew out the window.
Once again, she was pissed – despite the agony she had felt radiating throughout her entire body seconds before.
She found the pain lessened when her attention was once again drawn to Gio. She didn’t realize it then, but perhaps it was part of his plan given their situation. To get her mind off of what was transpiring.
It also seemed that the same man who had been slobbering over himself just a few minutes ago had somehow cured himself of his drunken state. At least for the most part. Not only that, but that explosion of fire… Sera was certain that it had to be Gio who caused it.
She realized Gio was an Esper. Those gifted with supernatural abilities and magics.
“Yeah, you’re right. Perfectly proportioned for a preteen boy.” Gio gave a smirk while adjusting his shades, seemingly caring more to engage in a battle of words with Sera than facing the Chaotic.
The young girl was ready to respond with more insults, but she quickly discovered her inability to speak. She couldn’t breathe. The oxygen around her had suddenly vanished and the air was now suffocating her.
The Chaotic was once again making a move, going back towards his prey rather than facing Gio. Unfortunately for Sera that meant her air supply was nil and she wouldn’t have long to survive.
“Like hell you’ll be doing that on my watch!” Gio shouted out once more, flinging himself through the air in an otherworldly showing of strength and speed. “Hey, flatty, don’t worry! Ol’ Gio is going to get you out of this! Don’t sweat it!” Even as he moved to save her he had to take another jab.
The Chaotic was moving now to avoid Gio, but it wasn’t prepared for the wildfire that flared up and surrounded it. Flames had burst forth from nothing, blocking all escape routes but one. The beast had nowhere to go but up, which was easy enough for a wind manipulator, but that was what Gio wanted. The Chaotic was a mindless beast, going exactly where the part-timer wanted it to go.
Gio floated just above the spider’s escape route, right hand surrounded in a swirling white and black energy.
“Chew on this instead, spidey!” Snapping his fingers downwards soon unleashed a streaking red energy which moved through the air like a sonic jet. It slammed into the spider and with a thunderous roar exploded into a pillar of flame.
Sera was released from her airtight prison just in the nick of time. Gasping for breath, coughing wildly, she couldn’t help but claw towards the battle. Even as her body fought against her she had to witness the fight. She was mesmerized by the power on display. The flames which burned acted as if they were alive, dancing and swirling to the beat of Gio’s drum. She had seen the abilities of Espers plenty of times in the past, but never had she seen such a destructive force wielded so effortlessly.
She watched as Gio floated in the air above where the flames raged and still she couldn’t fully believe it. That same guy was a drunken mess not long ago. Now, however, he was fighting that monster with a power that seemed completely and utterly overwhelming.
If it had been anyone but the man whom insulted her so, she might have fallen head over heels in admiration for his strength.
Gio, meanwhile, continued hovering and kept the flames raging even harder. The propulsion of the fire seemed to allow his floating position with ease.
“Still not quite well done and crispy, huh? You’ve got some real thick skin!” He could tell the fight had yet to be finished. The spider had survived the explosion and flames, which was rare.
“You’re telling me that thing is still alive after all that?!” Sera’s surprise overwhelmed her. She almost sounded excited or even eager in some way.
The answer to the question was clear, but the Chaotic was indeed still alive and kicking. Gio watched as his flames began to bend outwards, a trend which continued upwards. Something was moving towards him and pushing away the blaze.
“Of course!” He was expecting it.
The Chaotic then sprang forth from the inferno, shielded by a visible force of blackened wind energy. The spider shaped beast then darted towards Gio with enough speed and force to easily flatten a regular human like a bug on a windshield.
Though the sunglasses-clad part-timer was hardly a regular human.
As the beast’s fangs attempted to chomp down on Gio he grabbed hold of the Chaotics’ head, keeping the fangs at bay with what looked like raw strength. The truth was, however, that he had broken through its wind barrier with what appeared to be a similar wind-based ability, which covered his own body.
It was so similar that it had to be the same skill, manipulated and controlled by someone else.
“Damn you’re feisty!”
Gio then used his strength to turn in mid-air, flinging the spider upwards and releasing him, but the spider darted right back at him in an attempt to latch his fangs into him once more.
Sera then watched as the spider collided with Gio, appearing to succeed in wrapping its fangs around his frame, and the two figures crashed harshly into the street below with another loud crash that this time rocked the area.
“D-Did he just get eaten?! Just like that?!” Sera rushed to the edge of the roof to look at the aftermath, but she was greeted with a different sight than Gio’s defeat.
“Sorry, friend… There won’t be any Grilled Giotto on the menu today. Hope that doesn’t deter you from coming again, though.” Gio couldn’t help but let out a bit of laughter as he mocked the Chaotic attempting to slice him up. His body, which lay inside the Chaotic’s mouth, had yet to be bitten into. “Now, tell me, what’s the best way to ride the wind?”
Gio’s body was protected by that same wind energy, this time preventing the spider from biting down.
As if feeling frantic, perhaps for the first time feeling fear, the Chaotic summoned a series of swirling twisters. Each was colored the same faded black as the wind which surrounded its own body. The twisters then rushed towards the pair of them, surely planning to take out Gio even if it meant sacrificing itself. The ground along their path was shredded and blown away with ease.
The part-timer smirked ever so slightly at the move while his right hand twitched ever so slightly. In that moment new twisters formed, but they remained simple masses of wind for only an instant – and instead they soon became swirling cyclones of flame.
“Maybe in the next life you’ll be a bit nicer to local watering holes! Nothing wrong with having a drink in the middle of the day, spidey!”
The shouting from Gio matched the ferocity of the flaming twisters as they collided with the Chaotic’s own wind, and the combined forces converged on both the spider and Gio in a pillar of swirling fire that stretched high into the sky.
A brilliant flash forced Sera to look away, but she fought the urge to run and instead looked back. She was enthralled and she had to know what happened.
“Hey! Part-timer!” Sera couldn’t help but let out a shout, shielding herself somewhat from the heat of the flames, but luckily the pillar began to die down just as quickly as it appeared.
Dust kicked up by the forces of wind and flame had yet to settle, but the scattered torched limbs of the beast made it clear what happened – the Chaotic had been shredded and incinerated. The only question left to answer was if Gio had survived the combined attacks of the spider and his own.
A light cough from within the smoke was confirmation enough.
Gio’s figure, seemingly untouched by the flames or razer-like wind, stepped into the view of the onlooker Sera. He couldn’t help but have a slight grin across his face as he looked up to Sera leaning over the roof’s edge. He could tell from the way she acted that it was exciting for her.
Sera was startled at what she just witnessed, but yes, she was also quite excited. Her first experience back in New Eden since she was a young child had been nothing short of exhilarating.
“That’s… that’s it?” Her voice was shaky. Her adrenaline that had been pumping so hard was coming back down.
“That’s it, Miss.” Ridge appeared from a hatch opening on what remained of the roof, motioning for Sera to follow him to get down.
“You’re telling me that drunk was able to do that to that… thing?” She spun around, demanding a better response from the barkeep.
“Well, Miss, it’s true that he can be quite a slacker and tends to drink too much… but that Gio Jaeger is something when it comes to that power of his. He’s not like anything else in New Eden, I can guarantee you that.” Ridge’s approval was obvious.
Sera couldn’t quite grasp that the man from before was the same man that had just fought that Chaotic and won in such fashion. It didn’t quite click in her mind. However, Ridge’s words seemed to spark something within her. Perhaps it was his name, or perhaps the idea that this Gio would open the door to a whole new world of excitement.
So, turning back towards where the dust had finally settled, she stood and vaulted off the edge of the roof!
There was no hesitation, no concern for her own injuries, and she even completed the feat with a mid-air flip.
She landed comfortably with soft scrap across the pavement where Gio was casually stretching.
“You! Gio Jaeger!” Sera shouted with authority, catching Gio off guard and causing him to nearly stumble backwards.
“W-What do you want now, flatty?” His response was enough to cause Sera to once again grab him by the collar.
She stared right into those black sunglasses of his as if looking through them and right into his very soul.
“Tell me what it is you do! How the heck do you fight like that after being so wasted?” She demanded answers.
Gio could only give a glance off to the side, his shades barely hiding his wandering eyes. He wasn’t sure how to best respond to the very direct woman standing before him.
“I-I’m just a part-timer, ya know?” His stutter didn’t help his situation.
Sera then pulled him in close, staring further. She was inches from his face and nearly gagged once again at the sudden stench of alcohol. She fought the urge to do so.
“You have a business, yeah? Well guess what, Mr. Part-Timer? You just found yourself a new manager.” Sera’s sudden declaration had Gio turning limp with fear.
Not even the observing Ridge quite understood what the young Miss was up to.
Gio’s lack of a response caused Sera’s grip to tighten.
“Something wrong with that?!” She shouted again and Gio’s returning intoxication didn’t seem to enjoy that much.
“I hate to be a bringer of bad news, but uh… I don’t really work with anyone, so—” He was cut off as his body went soaring further down the street, skipping along the path towards what would be the heart of New Eden.
The dominance of this young woman was firmly established as she sent his body soaring with little effort.
“Hey, Barkeep! Where the hell does this guy live, anyway?”
Sera’s glare caused Ridge to physically freeze up, but he was quick to respond.
“T-Thirteenth District! You can’t miss the place, trust me…” He wasn’t sure why he answered, but fear was quite the motivator.
Sera simply gave a smirk and made her way over to Gio. Looking down with a nod of approval she kicked him along, much like a soccer ball, and watched him bounce along the road. Her physical strength seemed even more freakish than Gio’s fire.
“Thanks!” She gave a wicked smile as she continued on, pulling out the root beer she sneakily managed to get her hands on once again. How did she still have it? Did she hide it somewhere? Was it a cosmic moment? No one could be sure.
This time she finally popped it open and took a long chug. She had been ready for this all day, only something wasn’t quite right. The taste was off.
“.. It’s fucking flat! Damnit!”
“Like your chest. ~” Gio’s words were like a whimper, weakened by his hangover and the physical abuse he had sustained.
She set down the bottle, giving no response to the comments, instead clasping her hands to seemingly offer a prayer to the flat root beer.
It was the moment after the prayer, where her eyes glared at him with a calm terror, which had the part-timer somewhat worried.
After all, for some reason, it appeared he was going to be stuck with this strange girl. His mind was already racing to the abuse that lie in his immediate future. Was he really going to let this girl force herself into his business, his life? He didn’t work with anyone and hadn’t done such a thing in years… but now it seemed that was changing against his will.
It was the beginning of what would surely be the most dysfunctional and downright crazy partnership in history. One had to wonder just what Sera was thinking and why Gio hadn’t yet decided to escape. Somehow, someway, these two forces were colliding – and who knew what the future could hold for this partnership setting sail on the rocky seas.
~ END 2ND CARD ~