Writing Trade: Friction

    “How should I know why I have fingers?” Penelope said as she waved them in front of her eyes. “I don’t really know where I came from.”

    “But it’s way unfair.” Bo was sitting on the clouds, pouting.

    “It’s odd really, I mean, daddy has fingers.” Lillian held up her hooves.

    Peep said nothing, tapping his together.

    “Well maybe you’ll grow fingers when you’re promoted.” Penelope offered.

    “But I wanna pick up weapons now.” Bo kicked at the air.

    Before Penelope could think up a good response to that she heard Colchis step up behind her.

    “Furietti is back for a bit if you’d like to go home.”

    She looked at the tall angel. “For a bit? Why just a bit?”

    He shrugged and threw his axe back over his shoulder. “I’m afraid you’ll have to ask her that.”

    Penelope puffed out her cheeks. “Fine, I will. I’ll see you guys later.”

    Lillian was the only one who offered much of a goodbye and Penelope dashed out of the cloudy area. In just a few more gallops she was back home in the open plain, decorated by one lonely tree.

    Furietti stood close by it, her tail swishing back and forth. Was she annoyed by something?

    Penelope dashed closer before simply hopping up onto Furietti’s back.

    “Ah, there you are.” Another tail swish.

    “Where did you go?”

    “Earth.”

    “I figured that.” Penelope crossed her arms. “But why?”

    “I’m a war angel.”

    Penelope’s frowned deepened and she crawled up her mom’s back. “So? Tell me why.”

    “There’s no special reason.”

    “Then stay here for a while. You’ve been leaving a lot lately.”
    
    “I’m sorry,” her tail moved again. “But I have work to do.”

    Penelope had learned angels couldn’t lie but that didn’t mean they weren’t good at dodging the truth. And when it came to her mom it couldn’t be more obvious.

    “Yeah, okay, sure.” Penelope sat at the crook of Furietti’s back, glaring at the tree. “Then why did you come back.”

    “To check on you.”

    “Well I’m fine.”

    Furietti sighed. “Yes, I can see that.”

    Suddenly the angel warped and Penelope screamed before she landed on the grass with a thud.

    “She could have let me down first.” She crawled over and leaned against the tree. “This is so dumb. Is she on some super secret mission or something? Why can’t I know about it?” She looked up at the tree as if it was supposed to answer.

    She wanted to go to Earth too. She wanted to get stronger and learn more. Nitzan took his kids to see Earth all the time, right?

    “I should go anyway.” Penelope said. “You think so too right?”

    The tree was quiet, at least to her.

    “Yeah, see? I’m going. She can look for me when she actually notices I’m missing.”

    Penelope galloped out of the area to find a messenger angel, preferably one with a roomy mailbag. She was not getting stuck between two bottles of holy water again.

/[]\ /[]\ /[]\ /[]\ /[]\ /[]\ /[]\ /[]\

    How did this always happen? She heard about deserts, beaches, rocky mountains, canyons, and amazing volcanos. And yet somehow she always ended up next to some other forest when she came here.

    She couldn’t object too harshly because at least there was something going on, but still. Would it kill a messenger to land next to rocky cliff sometime?

    In the meantime she chased a few rabbits through the bushes and even found a cool snake. Nothing worth training against, of course. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to encounter something she could fight or play it safe.

    Her mom wasn’t nearby.

    Her ears pricked up at the sound of crunching leaves. She spun around, and held her fists up.

    “Who’s there?” She shouted.

    A deer walked out of the trees.

    Penelope sighed and dropped her hands. She should have figured it was nothing big.

    “I don’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed it’s just you.” She put her hands on her hips.

    The deer stared at her for the longest time. It’s black eyes were focus and it’s ear would twitch occasionally.

    Penelope walked over to it. The deer still didn’t move.

    “Weird thing. You’re like a horse but not. How do you even walk on those legs?”

    “Quite carefully.”

    Penelope jumped at the voice. Deer didn’t talk did they?

    “I’m guessing... your mother isn’t here?”

    “Huh?” Penelope lifted her arms again. “Who are you?

    The deer lowered it’s head and collapsed on the ground.

    Penelope waited for a moment before cautiously stepping forward. Was it dead? What happened?

    Suddenly a black mist shot up from the deer. Penelope jumped back and tried to keep an eye on it, but a bright flash followed.

    When she lowered her arm she saw someone standing there. A woman, it seemed, with black skin and white glowing lines covering her body.

    “A-are you a demon?” Penelope clenched her hands into fists.

    “I mean you no harm.”

    “That doesn’t answer my question.” She puffed out her cheeks.

    The woman sighed. “Yes.”

    “W-well what are you doing here? Did you kill that deer?” Penelope glanced at it.

    The demon sat against one of the trees. “It was dead when I found it. I was using it to hide.”

    “Hide from what?”

    The demon didn’t answer, instead glancing around the trees. “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

    “Hey I asked you something first.” Penelope jumped a bit closer, still holding her hands out. “And that’s none of your business anyways.”

    “I said I mean you no harm.”

    “Oh yeah? How do I know that? You haven’t even introduced yourself.”

    “I’m Gemini.”

    Penelope paused and lowered her hands. “Oh, okay.”

    “But while I may not, there are few demons who have that attitude. You shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”

    “Yeah, well, it’s the only way I can.” Penelope crossed her arms and sat in some leaves. “Mom won’t take me down here anymore with her stupid secret missions or... whatever they are. She won’t tell me either.”

    “Perhaps it is better you don’t know.”

    “Yeah but if she had told me I wouldn’t have come here by myself.” She looked at the trees. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter right now.”

    “Shall I go, then?” Gemini asked.

    Penelope looked the demon up and down. To be honest it was the first time she had seen one so close. She had heard they came in all shapes and sizes, but this one’s form was oddly soothing.

    “You can stay, if you want. You are hiding yeah?”

    Gemini nodded.

    “From what though? What’s a demon got to-”

    The demon suddenly shot off the ground. Her head twisted around looking all directions.

    “Huh? What’s wrong-”

    Penelope was cut off again by the thundering sound of hooves, a sound she’d recognize anywhere.

    Furietti burst through the bushes, stomping on branches in her path. Her tail lashed around behind her.

    “There you are.” The angel said.

    Her mom was looking for Gemini? Is that who Gemini was hiding from? Penelope tried to make sense of the situation.

    Then Furietti froze. “Penelope?”

    The putto’s head shot up.

    “What are you doing here?”

    She glanced from her mother to the demon who still hadn’t run away. What was she supposed to say? Hi mom I ran away and chatted with this “harmless” demon here for a bit, no big deal.

    “I’m taking you home right now.” Furietti glanced at Gemini. “And you should try staying put.”

    “W-wait!” Penelope shouted. “She wasn’t doing anything weird. Can’t you just leave her alone?”

    “Penelope this doesn’t concern you.”

    Penelope felt her fire building up. “And why not? What do you have to be so secret about, huh?”

    “Penelope.” Furietti warned.

    “We were talking just fine so why don’t you leave like you always do?”

    Furietti snorted and stomped her hoof.

    “Both of you quit.” Gemini shouted.

    Penelope’s fire went down as she glanced at the demon.

    “Fighting over me of all things, honestly.”

    “What’s going on here?” Penelope turned to her. “Why can’t someone explain?”

    “You heard her,” Gemini stared at Furietti. “Take her home and explain. I’m going back to hiding.” She turned and headed back into the trees.

    “Gemini wait-”

    “I’m fine, I can deal with Zabius on my own.” The demon frowned. “And it seems like you have enough to deal with, yes?”

    Furietti said nothing and turned her head.

    “Gook luck.” With a light flash Gemini disappeared.

    Penelope stared at the spot the demon had been before glancing back at her mother.

    Furietti snorted again but crossed her arms. “Come on, we must go home.”

    Penelope puffed out her cheeks but didn’t argue. She trotted over the angel and hopped up on her back. With her light grip she almost fell off when her body jerked from one place to another. There they were, back in the empty field again. She sighed before sliding off.

    “So?” Penelope asked. “What’s the deal?”

    “Gemini was once a dear friend of mine, that’s all you need to know.”

    “Seriously?” Penelope shouted. “What’s the big deal?”

    “This is to keep you safe.”

    “I was doing just fine down there, thank you.”

    “Penelope.” Furietti leaned forward. “While I always hope this day never comes, at some point you will realize that wandering around Earth by yourself is a terrible mistake. All I can do is make certain I am nearby when it happens.”

    “Then take me with you. Wouldn’t that be safer?”

    “Not right now.” Furietti straightened herself.

    “Ugh, why not?” Penelope fell back into the grass. “If it’s so bad why can’t you just show me?”

    “One day you’ll understand.”

    Penelope sat up only to see Furietti had vanished again. She shouted and rolled around in the grass a bit. Eventually her rolling made her crash into the tree and she stared up at the branches.

    “Guess I just have to learn for myself huh?” She frowned at it.

    The next chance she got she was going exploring.