Wildcard Decision

"By Zodiac Bond, you mean those weird glowing tattoos that we got?" 

Lily tilted her head as she touched her shoulder where her tiger mark resided. 

"And that weird gem that was made of Luna's flesh?"

Horo's followup question made Luna frown and growl at him

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yes. I am pretty sure if it happened to you, it's going to happen to us too!"

Lily nodded her head in agreement at Horo's words. It looked like Horo and Luna were about to start bickering again when Leo cut in.

"Yes and no. The skills are linked but not the same. But that's besides the point. Nyx and Sonata have been deemed highly compatible with the system. Should I use it on the basis that they become permanent party members?"

Luna scratched her temple as she seriously contemplated the question. Horo had a frown on his face while Lily's gaze grew complicated as she glanced between the two of them. 

"I think it is safe to say that we all agree Sonata can be trusted to join us. The only question is Nyx…" 

"I am against it. She definitely has an ulterior motive. Why give her power that could potentially hurt you Leo?" 

Luna's opinion after a moment of contemplation was a solid no. There were too many questions surrounding her that she just couldn't bring herself to ignore. 

"I…Disagree with Luna." 

"I think she should be included."

Luna's eyes widened in shock as both Lily and Horo sided against her. Lily looked extremely guilty while Horo's own expression was slightly scrunched up as if he had just eaten a fly. 

"While I agree she definitely has an ulterior motive for being with us, her background and skill set make her an asset we can't ignore. Annoying though she may be, I would rather have her on our side where we can see her rather than lurking in the dark."

Horo's explanation did make sense to Luna but it still didn't sit well with her. 

"Why are you taking her side here? You're an outsider too!"

"Luna!"

Luna immediately regretted her choice of words as a flash of hurt flickered in Horo's eyes while Leo's expression contorted into anger as he yelled.

"That's uncalled for. Horo risked his life for me and you still call him an outsider?!"

"It's okay Leo. I am fine…" 

Horo tried to calm him down but Leo was not willing to back down, even if the other party was his sister. 

"I am not fine with it! You need to apologize to him, Luna." 

Luna clenched her fists, her jaw tightening as she met Leo's fiery gaze. She knew she had crossed a line, but the words had already left her mouth. Swallowing her pride was never easy for her, especially not when emotions were running high.

"…I didn't mean it like that." 

Her voice was quieter now, but still firm.

 "I know Horo has risked his life for you, for all of us. But that doesn't change the fact that Nyx is a wildcard. What if she betrays us? What if she's waiting for the right moment to stab us in the back?"

Leo let out a soft sigh, he knew her heart was in the right place but she was often just too harsh with her words. He was about to say something when Horo spoke.

"You think I don't know that?" 

His tone was dry, lacking his usual amusement. 

"You think I trust her? Because I don't. But that's exactly why I want her to be one of us."

Luna looked at him sharply, and Horo crossed his arms, his expression serious.

"She's slippery. If we push her away, she'll still be around—just out of sight, out of our control. But if she's with us? We can watch her, learn what she's after. And if she does try anything…" He shrugged. 

"We'll handle it."

Luna scoffed, shaking her head. 

"And you really think she won't see through that?"

"Oh, she definitely will."

 Horo smirked.

 "But she also enjoys playing games. As long as she thinks there's more fun to be had sticking with us, she won't betray us."

Luna hated that his logic actually made sense. She glanced at Lily, who was shifting uncomfortably, clearly caught between both sides of the argument.

"…Lily?" 

Luna prompted, her voice softer now.

Lily flinched slightly but let out a deep sigh. 

"I don't know, Luna. I get why you're worried. But… I feel like Nyx, for all her teasing and antics, isn't the kind of person who would betray us just because she can."

 She hesitated.

 "I could be wrong, but I want to believe that she sees something in us too."

Luna clicked her tongue in frustration. She didn't like it. She really didn't like it. But with both Horo and Lily against her on this, she could only put her faith in Lily's intuition about her. While Horo's logic was sound, Lily had yet to be wrong about 

"…Fine," she muttered. 

"But if she so much as looks like she's thinking about betraying us, I won't hesitate."

Leo let out a breath of relief while Horo, on the other hand, smirked.

"Glad to see you're coming around," 

"I haven't," 

she shot back.

Just then, Nyx's voice called from a distance.

"Looting duty is so lonely~ Did you all forget about me, the one and only~?"

Luna groaned.

 "God, she's already unbearable. Are we really doing this?"

Horo chuckled.

"Too late to back out now."

Leo let out yet another sigh as he started walking towards Nyx

 "We'll talk to her about it once we regroup."

As they moved forward, Luna could already feel the headache forming. This was going to be hell.

Horo looked to the sky and shouted

"Sonata, come down. We need to talk. It's something good"

With a gust of wind, Sonata slowly descended, curiosity in her gaze. 

"Something good? What's that?" 

She asked with a tilt of her head. 

"Leo has this skill. It is a buff of sorts I guess?"

Horo's explanation was vague as even he didn't know the full details. 

Lily jumped in and excitedly explained

"It's sort of like the Unique thing about our party. I'm 99.9% sure that only Leo has this skill. Could even call it his signature at this point! He can use that skill on you and it will make you one of us~! Oww!"

Lily cried out as Luna rapped her knuckles on her head, causing tears to well up, leaving her feeling aggrieved. 

"What was that for Luna?!"

"You were rambling, making Sonata uncomfortable and making it sound like Leo is the leader of a cult.." 

"What's this about a cult~? Is it a new religion like Cutieism~? If so, I am IN!" 

Nyx was standing at rapt attention in front of a small pile of loot that she had gathered.

"What did I do to deserve this…" 

Luna sighed as Leo stepped forward to speak.

"Girls, I want you guys to make a decision. Your choice will determine how things go from now on."

Nyx's and Sonata's gaze tightened as they felt the pressure. It was as if this choice would determine their fate.