Triana hadn't really meant to go through so much junk food; it was just that it was so handy to practice her levitation with. Shoop, pop, into the mouth, again and again. She could have happily skipped dinner, but her stepfather had spent all afternoon cooking something green and two-headed that he'd picked up on one of the outer planes, which he'd braised to perfection and served on a bed of rocket and sunchoke -- whatever those were.
When he got into one of his cooking kicks, there was no escape. She ended up putting away four helpings. Despite appearances, it was delicious.
"All right, now who's going to help me clear the table?" the Outrider said, rubbing his hands together. "Come on, guys!"
Triana groaned. "Next time, okay?"
"Now, honey, you looked like you were enjoying the meal, so it's only fair--"
Oh, come on! The spirit is willing, Triana thought, but the flesh is stuffed!
"Maybe this is a good time to put your magic to practical use, Starry Eyes," Raven suggested. Triana perked up. "Hey, yeah! That's actually a really good idea."
She managed to get all the plates in the air at once, and levitate them all into the sink -- well, all but one, anyway.
"Seventy-five percent. I mean, that's a passing grade, right?" she said, maneuvering the pieces into the trash. "I'd say I did okay."
"You did excellent," Raven said, pecking her one the cheek. Triana grinned. Her powers were developing, she had a wonderful, attentive, and drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend, and she was warm, contented, and comfortably stuffed. Everything was going her way.
-----------
"Do you have a visual?"
"I can see her now. First she made an absolute pig of herself, then she started throwing dishes around with her 'powers', and now she's sucking face with her... her little boy toy!"
"Uh, okay, we can work with that. I mean, there's got to be something in there."
"Something?" The Avenging Angel narrowed her eyes. "Gluttony, sloth, lust, sorcery. She's everything that's wrong with the world."
"Uh, sure. If that works for you." The deep voice in her earpiece sounded more resigned than enthusiastic. "I gotta say, I really liked this angel thing when you pitched it to me..."
"It's who I am!" the Avenging Angel said, a little too loudly. Triana's head turned, and she could swear the girl looked right at her for a moment. Hastily, she ducked behind the hedge, hoping it had been too dark for her target to spot her.
"I'm just saying, I think if you let me work on the costume a little, you could really have something. I'm thinking white spandex with gold accents; very angelic, fits your theme, and it complements my look as well. I know some people think white makes you look heavy, but you've got the figure to pull it off."
"There's nothing wrong with my costume. It's modest and practical."
"Yeah, look, the long skirt and blouse combo would be great if you were doing a Village of the Damned kind of mind powers thing, but you're equipment-based, okay, honey? If you wear normal clothes, you're not really even a villain. You're just, I don't know, an angry Amish chick or something."
"So when do I attack?"
"You don't. Tonight is for recon. She's still a neophyte; the Guild won't let you arch her until she's a practicing sorceress."
"But I brought my flaming sword!"
"I want to talk to you about that, too; you've got to be more careful where you're squirting lighter fluid. Our henchmen are very flammable; it's the wings, I think--"
"Hmph." The Avenging Angel slunk away, ducking down to keep the hedge between her and the people inside the house. "Go ahead, Triana, live in sin for another day. Judgement is coming. The judgement of -- the Avenging Angel!"
"That was good, honey, that was a very nice read. You're good with those, you know that?"
-----
"What's the matter?" Raven asked.
Triana turned back from the window. "I'm not sure. I heard something -- or sensed something -- and I thought I saw... well, it's silly."
"What did you think you saw?"
"Nothing, probably," Triana said, "but for a second, I could have sworn there was a girl in our yard. And -- and it almost looked like..."
"Who?"
Triana's gaze flicked once more to the darkness outside the window. "Kim."
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