Coral
* So, um, first things first--
* Things got really heated back there, so why don't we cool things down a bit, hey?


nnNO!!! You just want to trick me!!!


The angel holds Coral's snout shut.

Coral
* Wait hold ommmmmnmmph!!

I don't want... I don't want to hear...

Cliff shoots the angel's hand off Coral's face!

AAGH--!

  Cliff Mason
Get your damn hands off--! Uh. Her!!

STOP THAT!!! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT
You HURT ME


You're... always hurting me...

Coral
* Hey, hey, hey!!
* How about, Cliff doesn't hurt you anymore, and in exchange you let me talk for a little while?
* That sounds fair, right?

Hhhhhh...

     auuuu...

  Cliff Mason
...I hope you know what you're doing, kid.

Coral
* Okay...? Unspoken ceasefire?
* Okay! Now why don't we just...

Debate Start!

Coral and Cliff face off against the angel! Behind them, Yuno, Rilly, Casandra and Helen are all being held in arms.

Coral
* So... there's gotta be something you want here, right?
* A motive for all the... grabbing...?

HaaaaaAAGH
I know your GAME!!!
You're trying to placate me!

Coral
* Whoa, it's not like that! We're just talking, hey?
* Just havin' a chat!

ohh... of COURSE... aaauuuuuu...
and when you're done you'll want to LEAVE
just like... just like all the others...

Coral
* Wait, "the others"? You've been... left behind before?

You...
You don't know what it's LIKE
All by myself... chained and abandoned

Nobody stops, nobody looks down,
JUST WALKING OVER ME!


They want to leave and leave and leave
and if I LET THEM then NOBODY will be left


NOBODY
but me...

Coral
* Aww... that's so sad!
* But don't worry, we're different!!
* We would never--

YOU'RE LYING!!!!!

I know you're lying I KNOW YOU'RE LYING
because SHE already left!!!

The angel points its many fingers at Yuno.

—Yuno—
Oh oh, uM!!??
I, um-- I liked your trellisvines!

Don't try to make nice now!

You already left me and you would NEVER have come back if I didn't DRAG YOU BACK!!!
YOU and the BLADE BEARER and the SERPENT and, and--


aaaaa... auuuhuhuuhuuu...

aaaaaaaaaaaa...
Coral
* Hey, hey, it's okay...!
* You're lonely, right?
* We can all understand that!

No... auuhuhu... no you don't...
You DON'T

Coral
* Okay, okay, but what I'm saying is...
* Maybe we can set up a system!
* You know, rotating visits, we can help you with your garden, maybe...

WHY!!??? So you can PITY ME!?

Tell me about how GREAT and WONDERFUL it is on the other side of that
THAT DOOR!!!

Coral
* Aww, but it's not so bad here!
* The architecture's nice... I like your garden!
* You planted these yourself? You're very talented!

DON'T PATRONISE ME

Do you know what it's LIKE
STUCK HERE
SHACKLED here
SINCE TIME ITSELF BEGAN

Why should YOU get to leave!?
Everyone... aaa... everyone but me...


why... whyyhyyhyhhyyy...

Why do I have to stay behind...?
Coral
* You... wait...
* The shackle!

Coral sees a solution!

Coral
* The root of your problems isn't that everyone is leaving you...
* It's that that shackle round your leg stops you from leaving with them!
* It's a material issue! If we just remove the shackle--!

YOU THINK I HAVEN'T TRIED!!??
YOU THINK I HAVEN'T RENT MY FLESH AGAINST MY BINDINGS?!!

This chain
has endured
since the DAWN OF CREATION


IT DOES. NOT. BREAK.

Coral
* But you don't know that for sure!
* Why don't we get Helen around here, I'm sure she can--

I HIT IT WITH A ROCKET LAUNCHER

Coral
* O... okay.
* Right.
* But... have you considered--

NO!!!

The angel pulls Coral in close.

You can try your HONEYED WORDS ON ME but we KNOW you CAN'T FIX THIS!!!

YOU'RE JUST SAYING WHAT YOU THINK I WANT TO HEAR
BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO LEAVE
JUST! LIKE! EVERYONE!! ELSE!!!

Coral
* Hey--!

YOU'RE TRYING TO TRICK ME!!!!
YOU'RE TRYING TO TRICK ME INTO LETTING YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME AND LEAVE ME ALL ALONE AGAIN!!!

YOU THINK I'M STUPID AND YOU THINK YOU CAN--

A laser blast cuts through the air, piercing the angel's leg, to its and Coral's shock.

khaaAAAA--!!

Coral
* Cliff! No!!

The angel rushes up to Cliff, grabbing him with five or six hands and pushing him up against the bed of flowers behind him. The laser magnum is smoking in his hand.

YOU!!!!!!!

  Cliff Mason
Ghh--!

YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T YOU PROMISED AND YOU DID ANYWAY YOU JUST WANT TO HURT ME AND RUN AWAY AND YOU WERE JUST WAITING TO HURT ME AGAIN BECAUSE YOU DON'T

  Cliff Mason
Your... leg...

The angel looks down at the smoking stump where its leg was shot off.



Leg.



It looks back behind itself. Its severed leg is still stuck in the shackle.



L... leg.



The angel turns back and stares into space with a blank look in its eye. Its leg has already grown back, now shackle-free. DEBATE WON!


leg.