La Sacerdotessa

The Birthday Party

SATIRA sat in the passenger seat of the wagon, or car as the driver put it. She had never gotten used to the strange vehicle, settling usually to walk when she could, but today she had to make an entrance.

She was going home. In time for Papa's birthday no less.

She was dressed in her Arcana Famiglia uniform, the gold High Empress stigmata blazing from where it sat on her inner wrist. Satira glared down at it, her skin prickling. She clenched her jaw as the prickling turned into a burning sensation and she watched her hand fade in and out of existance until the pain settled and her hand sat on her thigh once more.

Satira sighed, watching as tiny shops went by. She was almost there. Her brown bag sat heavy by her feet and she felt the urge to take out what was inside.

No. Not until I show Jolly.

"We're here, miss."

"Thank you, sir," she said, handing him a few silver coins to pay before climbing out of the buggy and swinging her bag across her back. She worked on putting her dark hair into a bun as her boot heels clipped against the stone path.

Her old colleagues that worked for her under the Wands branch gasped as they saw her walk in, their eyes meeting her dark, wine ones. Satira smirked as she walked in and scanned the hall, looking for three boys in particular.

"Please remove your hand from mi'lady," Satira heard, her eyes filling with tears despite herself. She watched as Jolly walked away, his dark eyes meeting hers beneath his dark glasses. He nodded and she responded the same. She watched in amusement as Luca disciplined Liberta before being kicked into a pilar.

Satira chuckled, clapping as she watched. Debito, Pace, and Luca turned to look at her from where she stood, Luca with a big bump on his head.

"Satira? Satira!" Pace said as he ran to hug her, nearly making her topple over.

"Pace," she squeezed back, some of her tears starting to leak out. He stepped back, looking at her as Debito pushed Pace aside.

"Luce dei miei occhi," Debito's eyes scanned down her body playfully before pulling her in for a hug.

"Dee, always the charmer. You haven't changed one bit."

"That's where you're wrong, tesoro," he wiggled his eyebrows and her cheeks flushed red.

"Sati!" Luca nearly crashed into Debito, tears drenching the top of her top as Luca laid his head on her chest, rubbing his nose in her cleavage.

"Luca!" Satira's face got even more red, and suffice to say, Luca ended back up in the pilar.

Debito and Pace both laughed before Satira wrapped an arm around each of them as Dante came to do his speech.

"Gentlemen," Dante's eyes fell on me and smiled, "and lady. I would like to thank everyone for showing up despite your busy schedules. For the sake of our famiglia's Papa, Mundo. We will start with a word from Papa."

Satira watched as the red haired Papa and raven haired Mama walked down the stairs, as elegant as she remembered. Everyone cheered as they came down.

"Gentlemen, thank you for gathering today. I am celebrating my 59th birthday today. The reason I have gotten this far is because of all of you. Our Regalo island has overcome many hardships: raids from smugglers, occupation from foreign countries, lack of goods, oppression from a tyrant, epidemics. Once you start counting, there's no end. But we were able to overcome all of these adversaties with our familiar bond and, also, with our arcana powers.

But now I have gotten to that age. I am starting to think about retirement."

Everyone grew silent, sharing quiet whispers with one another. Some gasped, and Felicita, who had been young when Satira last saw her, made a question to her father. Satira just stared blankly at Papa.