Double or Nothing: One in a Million

Stuff 'Em in the Bunker

When Bile arrived at the terminal entrance into Gluttony, he was relieved to see the faded purple car roll to a stop beside the curb, its golden lights flashing in the gorgeous sunset of the tropical valley beyond him. Bile stepped across the walkway and extended his arm around the opened door, helping his dear friend out of the cab. "I wondered when your makeup session would end. You've kept a guy waiting for half an hour." Vestress, adorned in beautiful flowery jewelry and culturally appropriate fashion for the tropical getaway, stepped onto the curb while sliding her cell phone into the handbag draped beside her.

"Ha ha, very funny. It was fifteen minutes, not ten, dumbass." Bile chuckled, stepping past the curb while the faded purple car slowly pulled away from the street, rolling away while the two Demons moved toward the entrance into Gluttony. Unlike the industrial, professional structures of the other Sins and their gateways, Gluttony's walls were built using large logs and branches from trees in the region, rope and thick, wax-like substances acting like cement between the gaps. Bile removed his shades while Vestress snapped her heart-shaped green lenses over her eyes.

"Gluttony has a few safe houses my boys have used in the past. Damn beautiful paradise. Full of holding hands and singing songs 'round the fire type of people." Vestress tilted her head to an angle, a sarcastic smile lining the corners beneath her sunglasses. "Sounds like your type of people, Bile." The deep green tiger shark laughed, nearly swallowing his toothpick. "Ha! Me, a treehugger? Nah, that ain't my swing. At least, it could've been," he muttered, stuffing one hand into his pocket. Vestress nodded, fixing her sunglasses when they entered the main terminal.

As the two approached the gate, a single guard stepped forward, clad in ancient armor forged from brass, leaves and ironwood bark. "Do you have passports to enter?" They asked. Bile paused, turning to face Vestress. When they both nodded, Bile removed a card from his suit pocket. "Of course. Have a look," he replied, handing the card to the man or woman who accepted it, inspecting the details. Bile stepped away when his card was returned. "Very good. I will open the gate now." The two Demons stepped under the gate, and the wood barrier shut behind them.

Once inside, the Demons took their time admiring the strange new world they had just entered. There was no screaming, no fires, no violence or bloodshed to be seen. It was quiet, enriched with the beautiful rolling fields of farmers and crops and long, sloping palm trees before the vast and ancient jungle. The sounds of animals vibrated in the jungle walls and shook the streets crowded with market stalls and beautiful colors of the jungle's bounty. Bile stepped past a market stall with beautiful fruit and vegetable arrangements, removing his shades.

"Huh. Never been here by myself before. It should be a blast for you." Vestress positioned herself at an angle, fixing her heart-shaped sunglasses. "Thank you again for doing this, Bile. But why me? Why not Griff, or whoever you said was working with you on this?" The tiger shark shook his fins, flexing the veins in his dark green muscles. "Ah, relax. Griff can handle himself in the corner fight. You can't, and as long as the Stripe knows you're in cahoots with the rest of my crew, he'll target you to get at what I came here for."

Vestress fiddled around with the corner of her scarf, turning her attention halfway toward her business partner and flinging fish. "And what might that be?" She half muttered. Bile sighed, removing a briefcase from behind his back. He tossed the briefcase to the fashion icon, who caught the case with a stumble on her sandals. "It's crucial that you keep that where it's at. That's a very important thing you're holding." Vestress shuffled her nails across the surface of the suitcase to open it, but Bile stopped her, his hand catching her nails in a gentle yet firm grip.

"Don't open it. Not here, at least. Let's get you to your safe house before we discuss what's going on with the suitcase." Vestress trembled a bit in the grasp of the much taller, heavier Demon, but she shuddered her thoughts away with a flick of her scarf and a flash of her dress beneath her jacket. "Pssh, whatever you say. You gonna show me where I'm staying, or do we have to find a map for it?" Bile's razor blade-coated mouth flashed a bruised white in the sun above. "I got a map ahead of time. One of my old pals used to live out there, you'll be safe as a worm in the soil."

The Demons entered the crowded walkways of the market stalls, Vestress striding forward in a glorious display of fluffy greens, grays and blues to compliment her vibrant orange skin. Bile scoffed, turning to face the sunlight above the marketplace. "Do you ever stop changing the color of your skin? Sometimes I don't even know what to expect from you anymore." Vestress laughed, tossing her hair back. "Good! Keeps my friends and foes on their tippy toes."