NBG Virgo is a Saint Part 2

Virgo gently pulled the pin out of her dark brunette hair, causing it to cascade down her back, ending just at her rear. Normally she wore it up because it was less hassle that way, but Hermes loved it down, and it was the least she could do. She held her small pocket mirror up and tried to tidy her hair up by hand. Of course she would have forgotten her hairbrush in all of her excitement. She frowned at her plain face and wondered if she should have put on makeup but decided against it. He had never complained before, besides she couldn’t do it without help. Maybe later before dinner, she could ask one of the Phillips girl. Sara was a natural with the blush and eyeshadow. Virgo closed the mirror and sighed, hoping her dress wasn’t too wrinkled. She were a high collar, dark blue dress that went all the way down to her heels and thick black boots. Her small and nimble fingers fiddled with her top button and she unbuttoned it only to immediately button it again. He was not dating a whore after all. Still it was one button and only a hint of her throat, nothing more. She unbuttoned it again and rested her hand in her lap. But what if the hint of skin only teased him? That wasn’t fair. She buttoned it again. Still, it wouldn’t be the first time she had felt his lips on her neck. She smiled guilty. Hermes had only kissed her neck once and that had been during their picnic in the park just after their engagement. He had had her permission of course, both just caught up in the moment, and he stopped as soon as she realized their sin, but that didn’t mean she didn’t miss the feeling of his soft lips or his warm breath. She swallowed and unbuttoned it again. Nothing wrong with that, besides Hermes wasn’t an animal. And it could be a warm day today so it would be nice to expose some skin to the wind. She fiddled with the second button and admonished herself. Now she was just being a temptress. Her blue eyes widened as the train skidded to a halt and she realized she was in Appleburg station. Here already? She quickly rose and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress, her heart beating so hard against her chest she was certain it would break out. She tried to gracefully walk down the hallway and stepped off the train. She looked around, Hermes being easy to find because he was the usually the tallest man in any given area. She frowned as she could not see him, but did not panic. He was probably farther back. She walked forward and her frown grew. She should be able to see him by now. Maybe he was late? He had never been late before, but anything was possible, especially if he had been around Mercury at all today.
“Virgo?”
She whirled around and blushed when she came face to face with Eric, who looked just as embarrassed as she felt. Her hand instantaneously jumped to her neck and she quickly buttoned the top button, feeling like a floosy for showing Eric that much. Oh and her hair!
“Hermes is sorry he can’t be here,” said Eric, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the ground, “But he got held up and asked me to take you to the museum.”
“Is he ok?” asked Virgo, instantly thinking about the Mercury factor and imagining Hermes in the hospital.
“Yeah, he and Sam needed to do something and it took longer than expected.”
“Oh, good. For a second I thought Mercury had gotten him in trouble or injured.”
“No, it had nothing to do with the Mercury factor,” smirked Eric.
“So, where are we going?” she asked.
“The Nywark I think. Something about paper.”
“Oh.”
“He said he’d meet us at the museum.”
“That’s good,” she said, forcing a smile, “Shall we go?”
“Sure?” shrugged Eric, “Uh, do you have any luggage?”
“Yes, but I have already arranged it with the station. They’ll be dropping off my luggage at the Phillips’ house.”
“Good.”
She smiled, wondering if he would lead the way or not. Eric sensed her question and adjusted his jacket. He almost offered his arm before pulling it back and blushing.
“Uh, I don’t know-”
“We can just walk together, it’s ok,” she smiled, “I am capable of walking on my own.”
An amused smile flashed across his lips before saying, “All right then, this way.”
She grinned as he lumbered forward, parting the crowd for her. Even though she was disappointed Hermes was not here himself, she was relieved that he had asked Eric to pick her up and not James or Mercury.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” she said, surprised at his brisk pace.
“No problem.”
“Are you interested in Blecker’s work?”
Eric snorted, “Hell no.”
She quickly chuckled as he blushed sheepishly.
“I mean-”
“It’s ok, I don’t like him either.”
He stared at her surprised.
“But Hermes likes him so I pretend,” she said, grinning guiltily and feeling a little giddy sharing her secret.
“What?”
“We saw one of his exhibits in Bearcaska a few years ago, just to see what everyone was talking about. I thought it was ridiculous, but Hermes really liked it, so we go to every exhibit we can. I drag him to so many other art shows he’s not interested in, I figured I could see at least one he actually liked.”
Eric laughed and it was a strange sound, it almost frightened her. While she liked Eric best out of all of Hermes’ brothers and sister-blood related and adopted-she had always gotten the impression that he was a rather quiet and miserable person who didn’t know how to smile or laugh. Somehow the act of laughing made him even more intimidating than usual.
“Why are you laughing?”
“He thinks you like Blecker, that’s why he takes you to his exhibits.”
“What?!” said Virgo, her face falling.
“He can’t stand his artwork,” said Eric, an amused smirk still flirting across his lips.
It was Virgo’s turn to laugh.
“And here I thought….oh dear.”
She shook her head and noticed that Eric was watching her. He blushed and quickly looked away.
“So, if you don’t like Blecker, what would you like to see?”
“We should probably still go to the Nywark,” said Virgo thoughtfully, “Especially since Hermes will be expecting to meet us there and I’m sure they have other exhibits.”
“I would imagine so.”
“We’ll go there then.”
He nodded his head and together they turned a corner. They walked a few blocks in silence as Virgo studied Eric. She had not spent a lot of time around the taciturn boy, well she hadn’t spent a lot of time with any of Hermes’ brothers if truth be told, but she always felt that she would have gotten along best with Eric if given the chance. He didn’t seem to need much, just some peace and quiet and maybe a good drink. She knew that all the Banks boys were hard drinkers-even Hermes-and respectfully declined to comment on it as she imagined it was a requirement to survive having General Banks as a father. And she could appreciate a man who had one drink. Even her father had a drink now and then after a demanding day, but to drink excessively. Hm, not the right time to bring that up though. She wasn’t even his sister-in-law yet. It was strange to think that one day Eric would be one of the brothers she never had. Hermes liked to deny it, but she knew she was marrying all of the Banks boys plus the Phillips family. She didn’t mind. In fact, she was excited as she had never had a large family growing up and most of Hermes’ family meant well. Even Mercury wasn’t that bad during his few calm moments. It was just catching him during a calm moment. She woke form her muse with a start as Eric grabbed her arm before she walked into a rolling carriage.
“Sorry,” she smiled.
He shrugged and they waited until it was safe to cross the street. She studied his face and couldn’t help the conclusion that from this angle he look almost exactly like General Banks. Hermes also looked a lot like his father from certain angles, but Eric was almost an exact copy. She wondered how he felt about it. Hermes didn’t speak often about his father, but she knew that none of the boys liked him except James. And she knew that Eric supposedly had the worst relationship with General Banks. She couldn’t help but wonder why. Maybe she would learn after the marriage. Would General Banks attend? She blinked at the thought. It was strange to think that a father would not attend his own son’s wedding, but at the same time she could not imagine General Banks attending. Of course Mr. Phillips would make up for General Banks’ absence but it still caused Virgo to frown. That wasn’t right at all. Then again, would Hermes even want to invite him? Probably not. If they did, would Eric attend? She looked at the young man again and her face softened. He glanced her way and frowned.
“You all right?”
“Yes, just thinking.”
“Sorry, I know I’m not the best of company.”
“You’re better than Mercury.”
He smirked and they crossed the street.
“True, but you’ll have to be introduced to the Mercury factor eventually,” he sighed, “And I think it should be before the actual marriage, that way you can still change your mind.”
“Do you think I would?”
“Yes.”
She frowned, “Why?”
“Because that’s what any sane person would do after experiencing the Mercury Factor.”
She smiled faintly, wondering if he was keeping something from her.
“True, but how do you know that I am sane?”
“With all the craziness in his life, do you think Hermes would marry someone insane?”
She thought if over and shrugged. She had never seen it that way, but she supposed it made sense.
“Would you?” she asked.
His eyes widened and he glanced at her.
“I was just curious.”
“I’m not planning on getting married,” he said gruffly, increasing his pace.
She frowned and had to practically run to catch up with him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He grunted, but slowed down.
“But I think you’re right.”
He looked at her curiously.
“I would like to spend time with everyone before the marriage,” she nodded her head, “Maybe you could join Hermes and me for dinner tonight.”
“I don’t know if he would like that,” he muttered, turning red.
“Maybe not, but he usually agrees to my requests,” she grinned, trying to get a smile out of the gruff young man, “Besides it is only natural for a fiancée to want to know the family she is marrying into and you are the safest brother to start with. Then we’ll take James out and maybe Alex after that, and the girls together since they seem inseparable, and then Michael, and finally Mercury.”
He smirked as she was pleased with her plan.
“Why are you laughing at me?”
“Because you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“Which is why I want to meet everyone. As you said, I am going to experience all the insanity eventually once we are married. I might as well start early. I know I’m never going to actually spend time with my future father-in-law, surely I can spend time with my future brother-in-laws.”
Eric frowned and she blushed at her unexpected frustration.
“Hermes doesn’t chose to keep you away from him. Father does.”
She looked at him confused.
“Father made it clear he wants nothing to do with us. Why would Hermes waste time trying to change his mind?”
She shuddered at his anger and frowned. His face softened as she grabbed his arm.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been very close with my father my entire life. I don’t understand what it’s like to not what him around.”
“Just trust Hermes when it comes to father, all right?”
She nodded her head and he jerked his head towards a large white building with grand columns and stained glass windows
“That’s the museum.”
They walked up the stone, grey steps and entered the vast and spacious museum. A tour guide stood near the door but Eric dragged Virgo away from him.
“They’re a waste of time,” he replied to Virgo’s confused glance, “Besides, I think you’ll like this.”
She swallowed her concern as Eric dragged her towards the back of the museum. They pushed their way through the crowd and he brought her to a vast indoor courtyard full of exotic plants and statues. Her eyes widened and she gasped once she gathered her bearings.
“Oh, Eric, it’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, well I figured after the fifth flower Hermes sent you, you liked plants.”
“Oh, I do, I do. Thank you.”
He nodded his head and led her deep into the courtyard.
“I also thought you might find this interesting,” he said, bringing her towards a large plant that was held back by a barbed, metal fence. Its vines were barbed, its leaves were wide, and its flowers resembled strange little mouths.
“It’s an Arachnid eater,” said Eric as Virgo examined the plant, “They grow in the Ignis and are dangerous to baby arachnids.”
He pointed at a plaque and she read it.
“Donated by the 14th Regiment, Army of the Ignis.”
She looked at him confused.
“That was my father’s unit during the Ignis War. They brought it back with them after one of his exhibitions.”
Her face softened and she studied the plant again.
“The barbs are obviously poisonous as are the leaves if eaten, although the Indariums have learned how to crush them into powder and make a drug out of it. And the flowers, well they snapped down on their prey and they have this sap that can digest small arachnids. Uncle Theodore said he once saw one snap a small scorpion in half”
“Wow.”
“It’s an amazing plant,” he admitted, “Makes sense that father would be the one who found it.”
She smiled and he looked down and scuffed the floor.
“Listen, I know we’re not the easiest family to get to know, but just be patient with Hermes, all right? A lot of people count on him and he hasn’t given himself a chance to come to terms with everything.”
“I know and I want to help, but it’s hard when he won’t tell me.”
“Just be there for him, Virgo. That’s all he needs.”
She nodded her head and squeezed his hand.
“Thank you, Eric.”
He blushed and coughed before sticking both of his hands in his pockets.
“What to see what else they have here?”
“Sure,” she grinned, taking his arm and walking through the garden, marveling the strange plants many Ferdarian explorers and soldiers had brought back with them from their many adventures.

“Ok, is everyone clear on the plan?” asked Mercury as he, James, Teresa, and Michael walked through the halls of Nywark Museum.
“Yes,” said James.
Teresa nodded her head.
“Not really,” said Michael, causing everyone to roll their eyes.
“Oh my god, Michael!” groaned Mercury, causing a few of the snootier museum goers to glare at him, “We’ve been through this five times.”
“I just don’t understand why we need to distract Eric,” said Michael, “Why can’t we all spend time with Virgo?”
“Because Eric would never allow it,” said Mercury, “He and Hermes are convinced she’ll die or something if James and I spend time with her.”
“Well maybe not with James…”
“Hey, I have gotten the Mercury Factor somewhat under control.”
“Then why did you come home without pants today?” asked James, putting his hands on his hips.
“I had pants, I just wasn’t wearing them and who’s side are you on anyway?!”
“It’s just that it’s a very convoluted plan,” groaned Michael.
“What?! It’s simple. Teresa, you will distract Eric and keep him as far away from Virgo as possible, which should be easy because he’s head over heels for you.”
James rolled his eyes as Michael frowned and Teresa beamed.
“While she does that, Michael, you take Virgo into the exhibit on the other side of the museum. From there, James and I will ‘innocently’ run into you. Then James will claim he’s so hungry he’s going to die, which is when I’ll recommend a café down the street. Michael, you’ll make up an excuse why you can’t come and bam! James and I are spending time with Virgo.”
“Why can’t we just bump into Eric and Virgo and take everyone out to lunch?” groaned Michael.
“Because it’s a stupid plan. Now are you ready?”
“I still say I should go with Teresa,” said James, “She knows me better than she knows Michael.”
“No, because if Eric sees you, he’s going to know that I’m nearby. It has to be Michael and Teresa.”
“All right, let’s go before we lose them,” said Teresa as she watched Eric and Virgo walk out of the garden.
“Oh, shit. Go, go, go!” said Mercury, pushing Michael and Teresa forward.
“I think they have nice landscapes on the second floor,” said Eric.
“ERIC!”
“Oh no,” he moaned as his face whitened.
“Who’s that?” asked Virgo as a tall and pretty young girl ran towards them and practically tackled Eric.
“Hey, guys, funny running into you here,” grinned Michael skidding to a halt.
Eric glared at his young friend as Teresa glued herself to him.
“Yeah, talk about a coincidence,” he growled.
“Hello, Michael,” grinned Virgo, sensing Mercury’s hand in this, “Who is your friend?”
“Oh, Eric, I’m so glad to see you,” the young girl grinned, hopping off of him and feeling his arms, “Have you gained more muscles since we last met?”
“Hello, Teresa,” he droned, stepping away and positioning a surprised Virgo between the two of them.
“Teresa?” she asked.
“Oh, right, sorry,” said Michael, swallowing at the murderous glint in Eric’s eyes, “Virgo, this is Teresa one of Sara’s friends. Teresa, this is Virgo, Hermes’ fiancée.”
“Ooooh, aren’t you lucky,” she grinned as she tried to circle around Virgo to get close to Eric again.
“That depends on your point of view,” growled Eric, skillfully dogged Teresa.
Virgo watched amused as Michael frowned. This was going nowhere. He stuck his foot out and nearly screamed as Eric tripped over his weak ankle.
“Son of a-“ he muttered, hopping up and down as Teresa took this opportunity to ‘trip’ as well and land on top of Eric.
“Are you ok?” asked Virgo, her eyes widening.
“Yeah, they’re fine,” said Michael, his ankle throbbing, “Come on, let’s look at art.”
“What?” asked Virgo furrowing her eyebrows.
“You know you have beautiful eyes,” said Teresa, resting on Eric’s chest and staring into his eyes.
He growled and prayed for patience before picking her up one handed and placing her on the ground.
“Wow!” she giggled.
He rose and frowned when he realized that Virgo and Michael were no longer around.
“Where did they-”
“Ah, who needs them?” grinned Teresa, grabbing his hand, “Besides I’ve already found four to be too much of a crowd anyway.”
He glared at her.
“Teresa, was this Mercury’s idea?”
She pffted.
“What? No.”
“Teresa.”
She flinched as his voice took a menacing tone that only his father had ever perfected.
“Yeah, this was his idea,” she gulped, nodding her head quickly.
“I’m going to kill him,” Eric growled, balling his hands into fists, “Where did they take Virgo?”
“I don’t know,” she gulped.
“Teresa, tell me,” said Eric, grabbing her by the arms.

“I still don’t understand why we left them,” said Virgo as Michael led her into a smaller exhibit, full of portraits.
“Well,” said Michael, looking around for Mercury and James, “See, Teresa likes Eric and she asked me to get her alone with him.”
“Oh, that’s sort of cute,” said Virgo, still frowning.
“Yeah, but I also need to break them up,” he muttered, “Oh, where are they?!”
“What?”
“We need to get out of here!” shouted Mercury as he and James ran towards them.
“What? Why? What happened?” asked Michael as Virgo’s eyes widened.
“James may have broken a million dollar vase,” said Mercury, skidding to a halt, “Hey, Virgo.”
“I broke it?!” roared James.
“Not now, James,” snapped Mercury as two Lupus guards ran into the room, “Come on, we got to go!”
He grabbed Virgo’s wrist and dragged her through two more exhibits before they found the exit.
“Mercury, what about Eric and Teresa?” shouted Michael, chasing after them.
“Every man for himself,” said Mercury, ducking into an alleyway, “Crap!”
He skidded to a halt before he slammed into a wooden fence, but James wasn’t quick enough. He slammed into Virgo who slammed into Mercury who slammed into the fence, bringing it down.
“Come on, what are you waiting for?” shouted Michael, running over them.
“You son of a-” grunted Michael, slipping in the mud as James helped a bewildered Virgo up.
“Hey, at least the Mercury Factor is being somewhat helpful today,” grinned the youngest Banks boy.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Mercury, running through the alleyway and nearly skidding into the road.
“Come on, I think Salty Sam’s is nearby.”
“Oh, no,” said James, grabbing his brother’s arm, “We can’t take her there.”
“Where’s Michael?” frowned Virgo.
“Where do you want to take her?” snapped Mercury, gesturing like a mad man.
“Let’s take her to Larry’s café,” said James, snapping his fingers.
“We can’t. I was banned after nearly setting that artist on fire,” said Mercury.
“Mikey’s restaurant.
“No, again I was banned but this time for actually setting someone on fire.”
“Bernards?”
Mercury shook his head.
“Again, I set someone on fire.”
How often does this happen?” asked Virgo.
“More than you’d think.”
“You mean you haven’t set anyone on fire at Salty Sam’s?!” asked James, exasperated.
“No, I have, but a lot of people catch on fire in that place so Barrington’s kind of used to it,” shrugged Mercury.
“All right, fine! We’ll take her Salty Sam’s.”

Virgo scrunched her nose as they stepped foot into the smoky and foul bar. She had been here once before and had hated it back then. Today wasn’t any different.
“There, the table in the back,” said Mercury, “I’ll get everyone a drink.”
“Just a water, please,” said Virgo, holding onto James for dear life.
“Yes, me too.”
Mercury glared at them.
“You two are losers.”
While Mercury went to the counter, James carefully led Virgo to the unstable table in the back corner. He scrunched his nose as he smelt an acid smell of pee and decided to move the table for her. She sat down with a forced smile and prayed that Hermes or Eric would find her soon.
“Sorry about the venue,” said James, “But at least Mercury hasn’t set you on fire yet.”
Virgo stared at him as that really wasn’t as comforting as he seemed to think it was.
“Also sorry for basically kidnapping you, but we wanted to spend some time with you before the wedding.”
“Did Mercury locked Hermes in a closet or something?” asked Virgo, beginning to get a nasty suspicious that this entire day had been part of some elaborate plan concocted by James and Mercury.
“No! At least I don’t think so,” said James, furrowing his eyebrows, “We just wanted to get to know you.”
“All right,” she said with a shaking smile, thinking they could have planned this a lot better.
“All right, are we doing well? Good, good,” said Mercury with a shaking grin, hanging out their waters.
“Yes, I was just explaining to her that we just want to get to know here.”
“Yes, very good,” said Mercury, constantly glancing behind him.
“Is everything all right?” asked Virgo, furrowing her eyebrows.
“What? Yes, perfect, great, wonderful,” said Mercury, quickly downing his beer.
“Mercury,” said James, glaring at him.
“Hey, look there’s Eric’s friend, Strata! Strata come here!”
“Who?” asked Virgo, feeling her head beginning to swim.
“What?” gasped James, “Why are we inviting him over?”
“Hey, there troublemaker, ballerina.”
James frowned as the crazed looking sailor lumbered towards them. His grey, wispy hair blew constantly in non-existent wind, a pipe was permanently glued to his lips, and his face was carved by someone who didn’t know what a human looked like.
“And who are you?” he asked, gently kissing Virgo’s hand.
“This is Virgo, Hermes’ fiancée.”
“Ah, he’s a lucky man.”
“Thank you,” blushed Virgo.
“Actually, Strata, can you stay with Virgo for a second while I talk to James over here?” asked Mercury, pulling James form his chair, “Ok, great! Thank you!”
“What?!”
“What the hell is going on?” snapped James, once they were a good distance from Virgo’s table.
“Ok, so don’t panic, but we may be getting in a bar fight within the next five minutes,” said Mercury, watching the counter.
“What?! Why?!”
“Because Peter Longavich is here.”
James blinked.
“Who is that?!”
“So Peter Longavich is a guy from school whose girlfriend I stole.”
“Oh, Mercury!”
“Yeah, and it was at one of the balls, so he’s a bit pissed at me,” said Mercury, gulping at Peter turned around, “Oh, shit, I think he saw me!”
“We need to get Virgo out of here!” moaned James.
“What?! Oh, yes. Ok, you get Virgo out of here and leave Strata with me.”
“What, why?”
“Because I need some muscle damn it! Usually I have Eric to back me up, but now I’ve got no one.”
“You have me,” frowned James.
Mercury stared at him as Peter marched towards him.
“Like I said, I have no one!”
James stomped on his foot before marching towards the table.
“Strata, long story short, Mercury and I are going to get into a bar fight. You need to get Virgo out of here and fast.”
“What?” gasped Virgo, rising, “Why are you going to be in a bar fight?”
“No time to explain,” said James, gulping as Mercury was surrounded by Peter’s friends and trying to charm his way out of a fight, “Just go!”
Strata grabbed Virgo’s arm with a sigh and dragged her through the bar as Mercury threw the first punch.
“Come on, darling. The sooner I get you out of here, the sooner I can help the idiots out.”
He kicked the door open and they nearly ran into a frantic Hermes.
“Oh my god, Virgo!” he exclaimed, ripping her from Strata’s arms and holding her close.
“Hermes!” she gasped, tightening her hold around him.
“I told you, he’d take her here,” grumbled Eric, “Now excuse as I kick his ass.”
“Hang on there, sailor,” said Strata, placing his hand on Eric’s chest, “You’re going to have to get in line. Someone’s already in there, kicking his ass.”
“What?” gasped Hermes, stilling holding onto Virgo tightly.
“What happened?” gasped Samantha, holding Hermes’ peacock painting.
“I’m not sure,” admitted Strata, “But I have to go in there and save him.”
“Don’t,” grumbled Eric, folding his arm across his chests, “He deserves it.”
“What,” said Michael, “Where’s James?”
“Are you all right, darling,” said Hermes, finally breaking the hug and looking her over, “The idiot didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, I’m fine, but James is in there with him!”
“James!” snarled Eric about to run in when a disheveled James and Mercury tumbled out.
“I did it!” chirped James, hopping up and down, “I knocked someone out with a chair.”
“Great, now let’s run before Barrington finds us,” groaned Mercury, sporting a black eye.
“Oh, you’re going nowhere,” said Eric, grabbing him by the shirt and punching his brother before anyone could stop him.
“Eric!” exclaimed Virgo.
“Jesus, what the hell!” snapped Mercury, now looking like a raccoon with his two black eyes.
“He’s never been more attractive,” sighed Teresa as Samantha stared at her strangely.
“What the hell happened?!” snapped Hermes, holding a bewildered Virgo close to him.
“Don’t look at me,” said Strata, “I walked in on this weirdness.”
“Please, don’t be angry,” squeaked James, as Eric looked him over to make sure he was ok, “We just wanted to spend time with Virgo.”
Hermes growled and was about to explode when Virgo rested a hand on his chest and said soothingly, “It’s all right, darling, just breathe. The important thing is that no one died.”
“Or caught on fire,” added Michael.
Hermes glared at his friend, causing the Phillips boy to squeak and hide behind Teresa. It wasn’t often one was reminded that Hermes was also Henry’s son, but that glare made it painfully clear.
“Yeah, and we did it with good intentions,” offered James.
Hermes closed his eyes, counted to ten, and sighed, “I don’t even….How…”
His hands spasm and Virgo watched concerned, wondering if she was going to see Hermes truly angry for the first time in their relationship.
“Let’s just go home. Virgo, I’m sorry today was ruined.”
“But look what he bought you,” said Samantha trying to be helpful.
“Ah, peacocks?” asked Virgo, taking the picture.
“It’s a long story,” sighed Hermes.
They all looked at Michael as his stomach growled.
“Oh wow, I’m starving.”
“Let’s get some dinner,” said Virgo, sharing a glance with Hermes, “All of us.”
“All of us!” chirped James, rising the urge to hop again.
“All of us,” said Hermes, almost ready to cry.
“Yes, all of us. Even you, sir,” said Virgo, eying Strata strangely.
“Thanks, Miss, but I think you’ve got enough chaos to worry about with Mercury and Michael. You don’t need me. Good night.”
She let out a small sigh of relief as Hermes stared at her like she was mad.
“Yes, let’s go. We’re a family now, aren’t we?” she said, staring him down, “We should act like it.”
He wanted to argue, he really did, but that look disarmed him and he was simply too tired to fight.
“Fine,” he moaned, “Where should we go?”
“Oh, Pallinis!” said Michael.
“No, I’m banned from there too,” said Mercury.
“You set someone on fire there too!” exclaimed James.
“No, I slept with the chef’s daughter.”