Disclaimers: All characters belong to rightful owners.
Story concieved by Lee.


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"At least he seems to be in good spirits..." Kisoku noted to himself before chasing after the two. As he ran, he caught sight of the girl that Sam had been with. His eyes met hers, and he slowed to a halt.

Lucia stared back at Kisoku and flashed him a quiant smile. The blonde blinked a couple of times before proceeding to run to his friends. There was something about the girl that seemed not quite normal...

"Sammy Wammykins! Mommy was so worried!"

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"Hmm?" Sam came to a sliding stop as he heard the voices of his two friends and, giggling rather foolishly, he quickly made his way back to them. Once close enough, he tried to use the sounds of their voices to glomp onto the two others.

"Sempaaaaaaaiii! Luuukkkiiiieee!" He giggled further, happily, as he tried to nuzzle the two. Of course, he was probably just happy that both were, as far as he could tell, still in one piece and, for appearances, in each other's good graces; maybe all was put behind them and they could move on from this... little argument? "I thought that you had abandonded me to the cruel city!"

Of course, he paused in his joyous molestation of his friends as he remembered Lucia. Tipping his head, he drew back and, turning back in the direction from which he had come, he paused for a moment; did he _really_ want to introduce two of the most important people in his life to someone who had introduced herself as Lucifer? What would it mean for them, for her, for himself? Was it just madness? Was this _all_ madness? How could it...

Making a softly frustrated sound, he quickly shook his head and, lifting an arm, he waved in Lucia's direction in a style that could either be a goodbye or a beckoning, depending on one's view of things.

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Kisoku wrapped his arms tighly around his friend. The best part about fighting with friends was making up in the end. He brought his lips close to the others ear and whispered, "I'm sorry about running off like that..."

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Even from that distance, Lucia could see Sam's uncertainty. Not wanting to introduce her to his better halves? Well, she'd have none of that. Grinning, she walked over to where the boys were. She smiled patiently, waiting for Sam to introduce her.

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Even the normally stoic Lukas participated in the group hug, even going so far as to allow Sam to nuzzle him to his heart's content... and perhaps doing some nuzzling of his own as well. At that moment, he was just happy that all the tension between the three of them had vanished, and for the first time that day he felt somewhat... normal. "Sorry I acted like such an ass, Sammy..."

The feeling of normality, unfortunately, evaporated as soon as he saw the girl. As she approached, Lukas received the fleeting impression of something... eight-legged... with razor-sharp teeth... and without realizing he was about to do so, pulled away from his friends, and stepped forward, placing his own body between them and the approaching stranger, a definite aura of challenge radiating from him. A moment later, the perception of something monstrous in their midst vanished... and he was looking at an ordinary teenaged girl. Blinking, he shook his head and stepped back beside Sam and Kisoku, feeling like he'd just made an even bigger jackass out of himself.

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"Mm. Hey! No reason to apologize!" Sam giggled almost giddily as he basked in the warmth, the securtiy of the other two. It felt so good to be with them that the prior surreality of the last bit of time seemed almost to melt away entirely and, once more, he was nothing but Sammy--leader singer for Wingless, shameless flirt, and all around goof. "We all pretty much had a bit of a bitch moment, but it's all forgiven and forgotten, ne?"

Still, he started a bit as Lukie drew away from the group hug, then even moreso as he felt the Cajun arrange himself before them in a definitely defensive manner. He was about to ask what had happened when he noted the presence of another to their happy little group and, oddly enough, he didn't have to ask who the newcomer was.

"O-oh! Oh, I... I'd almost forgotten!" He laughed almost nervously as he stepped closer to Lucia and, taking her hand, he turned his attention to Kisoku and Lukas. Still, for a moment, he was at a loss. How? How should he handle this so as not to come off as a complete loon... nor to give away his reluctance for the whole situation? Well, only one way...

"Kisoku? Lukas? This is Lucia and she's carrying my baby!" He offered in an only ever-so-slightly forced tone as he gave all an only slightly forced grin. "Lucia? This is Kisoku Capulet, my loveslave, and Lukas Devereux, my cabana boy..."

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"It's a pleasure to meet you guys." Lucia grinned cheerfully, nodding a greeting to both boys. "It's touching to see a trio of friends as good as you... you guys are lucky to have each other."

She turned to Sam, keeping her voice light and calm. She had been playing Miss Perky & Perfect for too long to act any different just because she had someone who knew her little secret. "Sam, you don't mind if I play tag along. If you don't want me to, that's a-okay! I'll find something to do with me day..."

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Lukas nodded at the girl warily, still unsure as to just why he'd had the reaction he did upon first seeing her. She certainly didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary upon closer scrutiny... just another pretty, perky teenaged girl... probably an airhead, to boot, if Sam's taste was running true to form. Still... he couldn't shake the earlier impression that the sweet, smiling, and oh-so-perfect package before him was merely a pretty facade plastered up over something a damn sight less pleasant... like a gilded crypt. Frowning slightly, he glanced over at Kisoku to guage the older boy's reaction... and found himself wishing that he hadn't absentmindedly ditched Sophia. He'd dearly love to know what *she* would make of this addition to their group.

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Kisoku returned Lukas's gaze with unsurity of his own. He was pretty close to Sam. The chances of some random girl to appear out of the blue and be so darn close to his friend without Kisoku knowing were slim to nil.

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Lucia, being the intuitive girl that she was, noticed the goings on between the two. Giving her most downcast frown, she turned the full power of her poutiness on Sam. "Maybe... I should just... go."

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"Hey, no! That's okay, Luc!" Sam exclaimed upon hearing Lucia's intention to leave and, suddenly struck with an irrational need to keep the girl with him, he groped out for her arm. Feeling near- panic, he turned a pleading look to the two others. "It's okay if she hangs around with us, right? It's cool, right, guys?"

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No. No. No. and Hell No. It wasn't cool. Not at all. Go away, bitch; you *aren't* wanted.

Of course, Lukas spoke none of these thoughts aloud. After all, he had no right to tell Sam who he could or couldn't hang out with, and if Sam wanted this girl - Lucia - to make a fourth to their party, then it was okay with him.

Except it wasn't.

Still... he had no real reason to object to her presence. Except for that strange flash of... insight? delusion? ...he'd experienced when he'd first laid eyes on the girl. The feeling that Little Miss Perfect wasn't anything like what she appeared to be.

Well, that... and the fact that whenever he looked at her, the image of his own Mere floated up into his mind's eye.

::You just don't want her around 'cause she's encroachin' on *your* territory...:: a voice that sounded suspiciously like his own whispered in his consciousness. ::Face it, budreau... you don't want the competition...::

No. That wasn't it at all; Lukas was sure of *that* much, at least. Sam was his best friend, nothing less... but nothing more, either. Still, he was unsure enough about his own motivations that when Sam asked if he and Kiso minded Lucia joining them, his only answer was a noncommittal shrug.

He might not be able to voice any objections... but he didn't have to welcome her, either.

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At Lukas's shrug, Kisoku was left with no other choice but to nod in acceptance of the blonde girl. It wouldn't be so bad... if Sam really wanted to spend time with the girl, she _had_ to be fun. Feeling slightly guilty for his behavior before, he flashed the girl an apologetic smile.

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"Thanks for letting me hang out with you Sam! ...and others." Lucia grinned, possessively latching herself onto the taller boy. He and his friends had an interesting dynamic. Now would be the time to sow the seeds of doubt, so that she could reap the fruits of her labor at a later time. Her first task was to know the enemy.

She turned her eyes from one boy to the next, quickly going to work with calculating her plans. ::Sam... well, he's going to be mine, so no problem there. Protective of his friends, so any action against them has to be done slyly, so as not to attract attention. Lukas... stubborn but loyal. Defensive. He might be a big problem. Keep eyes open for soft spots. Kisoku... ah, he already felt guilty. I could see it in his eyes. He might just be the weak link in their chain. I'll keep an eye on him.::

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"Oh, hey! No problem, babe!" Sam chuckled happily as he laid his cheek atop the girl's head. Still, really, it did seem like there was a problem; sure, he hadn't exactly expected the other two to fall over themselves welcoming Lucia or anything, but he hadn't expected this rather cold indifference. Maybe he'd done something? Maybe this was one of those 'we need some Wingless time alone' times? Or maybe he was just being more paranoid than normal. Shaking these thoughts aside, he directed a question to the group, in general. "Ne, does anyone have the time?"

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"That was niftified!" Arvel giggled after the play, playing with the lights entwined around him, "I mean, Ms. Griffith is a kick-tail director! And they really made puppet-ing look fun!"

"Wouldn't that be 'puppeteering'?" Estelle asked.

Arvel shrugged, "I dunno. It seemed fun, though. And that guy who played Herod, did y'see his head shot? He's super dreamy! He's almost as cute as that guy, Kisoku..."

"Uh-oh. 'nother Wingless groupy-in-training..." Jeremy muttered sourly, clinging to Stubby, who was still interested in befriending Mousy.

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Sui nodded, "Of course," He sidled towards an empty corner. Drat that little girl. She was obviously too observant for her own good... or at least too observant for _his_ good.

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Alexei glanced down at the forgotten place mat cum game board. "Whose turn was it?"

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Sophia frowned slightly at the sour flash in Shittsui's eyes, and rather hoped there wouldn't be repercussions from today for her teacher. *But at least he'll be on his guard now, as much as he ever is.*

She turned back to Alexei, Dante and Tesu with a slight shake of her head. "It is getting very late, and my father and I are going to the tree lighting. Unless any of you were thinking of going as well?"

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Sasurai, of course, stayed a bit separate of the group. Though she enjoyed the show, she felt awkward in such a cheerful group and kept her eyes downcast. Mousy (who was woken up from the applause after the play was over) stared down from the golden locks of Lemy to the dag, not so afraid it now since he was in a nice high place.

Sasurai giggled at the conversation ahead of her, though looked over at the Mouse-net haired Lemy. "Did-Did you... enjoy the play... L-L-L- L... Lemy-san?" She quickly put her eyes downcast, old habits starting up again.

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