Tension rose among Ace's team. A legendary item sounded great, but no one wanted to be the one to choose an Obsidian Heart if things went wrong.
The item could spell disaster, and if many died, especially Ace or his teammates, none of them knew if they could live with it. Maybe Ace could. The others, likely not.
No one spoke; the risk sat heavy on all of them.
Alex raised his hand and coughed.
All eyes turned to him.
The pause stretched.
"Gimme my shield?"
"Oh, come on!" Chaewon rapped his bald head with her sheathed katana.
Head down, he looked chastened. A tap from the Godmother could put anyone in line.
Ace hid a laugh. Chaewon only did it to people she considered close.
She keeps her circle tight.
Nice to see her act like the Godmother. At least now I've got one less reason to cringe at the Don Capo title.*
He knew she'd make him pay for calling her that, let alone imagining Alex as "family." Still, this wasn't the moment.
