Greg was the first to speak
"Holy shit dude! You shot her?!"
Leo merely rolled his eyes with disdain dripping off of him.
"Maybe but did you have to shoot her in the fucking head?! Killing somebody over some silly nickname is batshit insane man!"
"Of course she’s dead! You shot her in the head!"
"With a healing bullet."
Aria crouched beside Penny, inspecting her with a look of mild concern. "She’s fine. Not even bruised."
Penny blinked up at her, completely unharmed, a bit dazed but otherwise perfectly normal. "You shot me?! I can’t believe you just shot me! In the face too! The Face!"
Leo smirked back at her with a cold gaze. "And I will do it again if you come up with another nickname for my looks. You wanna call me an E-Boy or a Goth Daddy?"
Penny raised up an index finger as she remarked "In my defence, I did not say that last one."
Greg let out a loud wheeze. "Oh my god. Goth Daddy? That’s going in the archives."
Leo’s eye twitched. "Say it again. I dare you."
Penny pushed herself up to a sitting position, rubbing her forehead dramatically even though there wasn’t a mark on her. "Okay, first of all, you shot me. In the face. That’s not normal party leader behavior."
"I told you. Healing bullet, Won’t even leave a mark" Leo said, voice flat.
Greg narrowed his eyes. "That’s not a thing. What on earth is a healing bullet supposed to be anyways?"
Leo looked over his shoulder, expression unreadable. "A bullet made of Poison, in the right dosage, even the most potent venom can be medicine."
Crystal tilted her head and chimed in. "That actually checks out. There’s an ancient theory behind controlled venom use. It’s basically toxic alchemy."
Greg held up both hands. "Okay, but even if it’s a healing bullet, you shot her. Point blank. In the face That’s still insane."
Leo shrugged. "It got the message across."
Penny finally stood, brushing herself off. "I don’t even know how to respond to that. Like... emotionally or physically. I feel like I need therapy. Or a spa day."
"You need restraint," Leo muttered.
"You need manners," she shot back.
Penny gasped. "Excuse me? Did you see your reflection? You’re out here looking like the final boss of an underground fashion show and I’m the problem?"
Greg started laughing all over again. "Underground fashion show. That’s accurate."
"Titan I have a 2nd Gun you know right? Are you trying to get shot next?"
Greg immediately ducked behind Crystal, using her as a makeshift shield which was pretty ineffective given his massive frame. "Don’t shoot the tank! That’s a bad strategy!"
Crystal didn’t say anything but Leo could tell that she was getting pretty annoyed with how Greg was acting.
"You are the eldest one here. Act like it!" She snapped, her voice frosty which caused Greg to flinch slightly.
Greg could only lower his head in submission and quietly mutter "Yes Ma’am."
He too noticed that he was acting a bit immature but something about this group made it feel really easy for him to unwind and relax. His mistake was that he had crossed a line with Crystal. He vowed to himself that it wouldn’t happen again.
Meanwhile, Penny dusted herself off one last time and flipped her hair like a diva on the verge of pressing charges. "Just for the record, I’m adding this entire moment to my trauma list. It’s going in the memoir."
Aria, who had been quietly observing the exchange, finally let out a soft breath and nodded. "Honestly? For all the drama... the transformation is impressive."
Crystal turning her head back nodded in agreement at Aria’s remark.
"Actually, it could solve the one glaring weakness that our current lineup has."
Everyone turned to her, curious.
"What do you mean?" Penny asked
Crystal hesitated for a moment before continuing. "We have plenty of damage dealers and tanks, but when it comes to healing, we’re lacking. If Leo’s Poison Form can create healing bullets, maybe he can fill that gap for us."
Aria nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. If his bullets can restore health or counteract poison, it could change how we fight."
Greg rubbed his chin. "So the toxic form is actually a healer? That’s pretty wild."
Penny’s eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Wait a minute. So he gets to shoot us... but it’s healing? That means every time he decides to ’help,’ He’s basically putting a bullet in us!"
She threw her hands up, voice full of mock horror. "That is the most dramatic and messed up healing method I’ve ever heard of! Like, ’Here, let me cure your wounds by firing a bullet into your face.’ What kind of twisted therapy is that?"
"It honestly sounds a little cathartic honestly~" Leo hummed with a smug grin.
Penny pointed at him like she was addressing a war criminal. "Oh my god, you like this! You absolute menace. This is your dream job. You get to shoot your friends and call it compassion!"
Leo folded his arms, still wearing that faint, infuriating smirk. "Only when they deserve it."
"Deserve it?" Penny echoed, hands on her hips now. "So what, if I so much as sass you mid-battle, you’re gonna cap me in the kneecap and say you were saving my life?"
"If it works, it works," Leo replied coolly.
Greg snorted. "I mean... tactical healing with attitude? I kind of respect it."
"You would," Crystal said flatly.
Aria chuckled softly. "It’s unconventional. But if it helps balance the team, I’m not against it."
Penny groaned and dramatically clutched her head. "I can’t believe this. This is how I die. Not from monsters. Not from traps. Not from some evil god. No. I’m going to get mercy-executed by our own healer with a smile on his stupid pretty face."
"You’re not going to die," Leo said. "Unless you give me another nickname."
Penny stared at him for a long beat. Then, very slowly, she mouthed the words Goth. Daddy.
Leo didn’t say a word.
He just raised his other gun.