Chapter 9. Practice Test

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Gem pondered staring up at the dark stone ribbed vault ceilings of her cathedral. Lounging about on her white silk couch pondering yesterday's events while her Niece slunk around amusing herself like a bored teenager.

The Niece hummed out of tune while poking at the walls for any hidden rooms she had come to think about. Not that there were but there was nothing else she had to occupy herself with and bothering her aunt into making her clean the house again was not something she wished to be doing.

Sighing through her nose stared up at one of the high windows pondering on what to do until glancing at her aunt seeing as she was on the couch scraping at the carpet rug. "Can I have something to eat?" She asked, raising a white eyebrow when hearing nothing, only for Gem to raise an arm and wave her hand "You live here don't you remember?".

Although having one ear on the couch and the other facing the ceiling Gem listened as her Niece's footsteps got further away to the kitchen. She found it relaxing having another person in this limbo of hers having thought that sharing this place would only bring trouble. It seemed even when she went things would still happen regardless.

"Do you want a sandwich?!" shouted the Niece

A chortle escaped from Gem not expecting the offer "If you find any yellow pepper place them on the side for me!" she responded.

-

Both sat crisscrossed on the carpet lunches on the table with a glass jar of yellow cascabella peppers resting in the middle. Niece seemed to be using her table manners as she held her sandwich with a napkin wrapped around and another on her lap. Gem on the other hand while eating slowly had a distanced look in her eyes something that even her Niece could tell despite her already distant demeanor.

"Your spacing out again" Niece bluntly stated. Dawning Gem blinked with a perplexed expression and shy smile "What's on your mind this time?" she questioned surmising it is the isolation getting to her again.

"That damned Radio Demon noticed me at the store yesterday" Gem grumbled with disappointment in her words rubbing off her fingers before rubbing her eyes to soothe.

Niece grinned with mischief "Why didn't you just tell him to fuck off or something?" Gem dropped her head at her unamused at the moment. "Can you recite all the rings of hell?" She inquired with shining green eyes.

"If I must: There are exactly Seven Rings of Hell to which each is ruled by one of the seven Princes of Hell" The Niece recited.

"Good, now can you name off what the Seven Rings are called?" Gem inquired again, crossing her arms. Niece groaned in lecturer anguish "Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Envy, and Sloth."

"You also know what to do if you ever encounter one of the overlords or another, right?" Gem leaned a bit over the table, eyes burrowing into the imp. "Use what you gave me to jump into whatever reflective surface there is while also screaming bloody murder?" Niece smiled sweetly.

Gem tilted her head back glancing up to the side thinking it over "Got the first part right. The second would probably only draw more attention but useful in any case, there is also the fact to destroy whichever mirror you came out of."
"You sure do take a lot of precautions for some who barely get out of the house. You're like the biggest introvert I ever met" Niece started, taking her empty plate.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Do you perhaps want to know how to ballet when you come back?" Gem inquired standing up and patting whatever crumbs might have fallen in her lap.

"Ballet? I'm not the most flexible person in the world, but I can show you some of my dance moves from when in high school" Niece offered.

-

"This is your version of dance?" Gem questioned an expression of bewilderment as rock music played in the background while the Niece danced something called Chicago.

"It's fun! Although you usually have other people trying to beat you at who has better moves!" Niece explained before spinning to stop and wiping the sweat off her brows.

"I'll take a pass."

"Oh come on!"

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