Cindy sat in the chair directly across from Elie, her heart pounding rapidly as she waited for the bomb to be deactivated. The air in the small, dark room was so humid, causing beads of sweat to form on Cindy's forehead. She struggled to stay still, her body twitching nervously. But, she had to stay still. Or else, that was it.

“How long has it been? At least thirty minutes, right? What the hell is taking so long?” Cindy wondered.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Elie remained oddly calm as she sat perfectly still across from Cindy,

Even in this situation, you're still better than me, Elie.

“Cindy, calm down girl. You'll be alright,” Elie said in a gentle voice, trying to comfort her distressed friend.

“Why are we still here? Why haven't you deactivated the bomb yet?” Cindy asked, looking up toward the surveillance camera. Her question was met with no response, however. “Of course,” she said, her anxiety escalating.

“Cindy, please calm!” Elie yelled, her tone more serious.

“How can you be so calm when there's a fucking bomb on your chest?” Cindy asked as she twiddled her thumbs rapidly. “Why haven't they done anything yet?” She whined as tears escaped her eyes.

“Cindy... this is all my fault, I'm sorry,” Elie said, giving off a faint smile. “Looks like I'm horrible at choosing guys!” she laughed softly.

“Elie... This isn't really the time for joking.”

“Why not? We've got all the fucking time in the world, apparently! So let's talk, Cindy. Let's talk about all sorts of things. Time will fly by so quick, we'll be out of here in no time.”

“O...okay,” Cindy said hesitantly as she tried to calm herself.

The two friends conversed as the minutes stretched to hours. Hours upon hours just kept passing by. Elie brought up the time they first met. She recalled Cindy being so shy when she first came to her shop for arm repairs. They recalled their first conversation, how they bonded over their love of comics and manga. They laughed, joked, and bantered the hours away, just like a normal day at The Bone shop; all without moving an inch on those uncomfortable wooden chairs.

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“We've had a lot of fun times together, Cindy,” Elie said somberly, smiling at the half-elf. “I'm still mad at you for ditching church so quickly, though. We were supposed to be church buddies!” she joked.

“Sorry,” Cindy responded. “I guess I'm... just bad at commitments.”

“That's not true. You're committed to arrogance pretty hard!” Elie said teasingly. “You never accepted much help from me. I even offered to let you stay at my place. We could've been roomies!” Elie paused. “If that happened, then maybe... you could've avoided this lifestyle.”

“I'm sorry. You had already helped me so much, Elie. You were my first friend in this city, when I didn't have anyone else. And, I just... I couldn't dare ask you for more than that. But, you're right. Maybe we could've avoided all this craziness if I wasn't so damn stubborn!” she cried softly, her face buried in her palms.

“Maybe we just live in a fucked up world. I mean, who would've thought the guy I was seeing was a former gang member that'd been stalking you. Then, tried to date me in order to get to you. That sounds ridiculous!” Elie said, chuckling loudly.

“Yeah,” Cindy said, lowering her gaze. “Maybe this is... just a fucked up world.”

“But, you'll overcome it,” Elie said sternly. “You're strong. Much stronger than you realize,” she smiled. “Cindy, listen... I think we both know that I'm not getting out of here alive.”

“W-what are you talking about? That guy... he got what he wanted from me. So there's no reason for him to kill you!” Cindy responded, her heart racing once more.

“Well, he probably wants to break you,” Elie said.

“Break me? For what?” Cindy asked.

“Because you're a threat,” Elie said as she stood up from the wooden chair. “He said you were the weakest link, but he still knew he couldn't kill you. He knew he couldn't touch you,” she emphasized. “That's why he ran away like a coward. He wants to break your spirit. One less assassin out of the picture.”

“Elie... what are you doing?” Cindy said, her face petrified as her hands trembled uncontrollably. “S-sit back down, right now!”

“Listen, Cindy. I can't tell you what to do, but... Just think about me sometimes, yeah?” Elie said, her voice cracking as tears flowed from her eyes. “And… live your life the way you want to, dammit. Stop trying to please everyone. Just... do whatever the fuck you want,” she continued. “I love you, my dearest friend,” she said softly, her last words, as she closed her eyes.

Cindy instinctively shrouded herself in aura, protecting herself. She quickly reached her hand out toward Elie, but she was not fast enough. The bomb attached to Elie's chest went off mere moments later. It imploded from the inside, destroying her heart and nothing more. Blood leaked slowly from the woman's punctured wound. She died mere moments later, with a serene smile on her face.

Cindy's pupils spasmed uncontrollably as she held Elie's lifeless corpse. A soft, haunting shriek escaped the half-elf's lips, echoing throughout the small room for what seemed like an eternity.