Pride's expression twisted, anger now warring with something else, something akin to respect.

  No one had ever beaten him before, let alone managed to knock him off balance, let alone scratch him, so being taken back by Noel's confidence for a brief second was inevitable.

  But then his expression darkened to a dangerous degree as he stood a little straighter, glaring at Noel with eyes that practically burned with rage.

  "You'll pay for that," he hissed, voice dripping with fury.

  Noel bared her teeth right back at him, her antlers still aglow as another charge coursed through her body.

  "Bring. It." she growled, standing defiant in face of Pride's rage like a tiny goddess standing off against some ancient god.

  "Oh, I will."

  And with that, he charged.

  Noel met him in the middle, antlers connecting with his chest as both of them struggled against each other's force. The air was thick with pure power and raw energy, the two of them locked against each other like wolves in a fight for dominance.

  Chie and Juniper both cheered loudly for Noel, while Yuki silently watched with eyes burning with anticipation.

  Pride's eyes widened, just for a fraction of a second, as the chains yanked him forward, cutting off his movement mid-charge.

  The momentum sent him crashing into Noel with bruising force, their bodies colliding hard enough to knock the wind out of both of them momentarily.

  Noel gasped, but she didn't let go, her grip on Pride only tightened as she leaned in close and snarled right against his ear:

  "Got you."

  Pride froze at that, genuinely stunned into silence by how easily he'd been caught off guard like this before finally gritting his teeth:

  "...You little cheat."

  Yuki let out an impressed whistle from where she watched while Chie cackled loudly enough for the entire city block to hear:

  "OHHHH HE MAD AGAIN!"

  That comment earned Chie a glare from Pride, but his attention quickly returned to Noel, who was still holding onto his binds tight.

  He tried to pull free, but her grip was like iron, refusing to budge. He bared his teeth, a clear sign of growing annoyance.

  "Get the hell off me!" he snapped, straining against her hold. "NOW.”

  "You're not going anywhere until you apologize for being a dick," Noel sneered right back, still refusing to loosen her grip which was so tight her knuckles were white.

  Pride's glare turned into a full-blown scowl at that, though whether it was from Noel's unexpected strength or her audacity.

  "Apologize?" he scoffed, voice dripping with disbelief. "You actually think I'm going to apologize to a glorified Christmas reindeer with fancy-shmancy glowing antlers?”

  Noel's grip on his binds only tightened in response to Pride's retort, her eyes blazing.

  "First of all, my antlers are way more than just 'glowing and fancy-shmancy', they're a key part of who I am. And second... yes. I do think you're going to apologize for your shitty behaviour."

  Pride's expression twisted, his annoyance now mixed with what was definitely the beginnings of respect.

  "Or else?" he spat, clearly hoping to get a reaction out of her.

  Pride actually flinched, just slightly, as Noel’s antlers slammed into him with enough force to make his breath hitch.

  For a second, he looked genuinely stunned, like no one had ever hit him that hard before (and they probably hadn't). His eyes widened as he stumbled back another step, barely catching himself on the railing behind him.

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  Then? He laughed. A deep, rolling sound filled with something almost like admiration despite himself:

  “HAH! Now THAT’S more like it!”

  Noel didn’t relent though, instead stepping forward again while her antlers still glowed brightly in warning: "So? You gonna say sorry or do I need to hit you again?”

  Pride smirked, his expression somewhere between being begrudgingly impressed and still very much arrogant as he lifted his chin defiantly:

  "Go ahead," he purred, voice dropping dangerously smooth. "I dare you."

  Noel didn't need any more encouragement than that, especially since she could tell that Pride was actually wanting her to hit him again.

  In one swift, fluid movement, she drove her antlers straight back into his chest, harder than before while her own eyes burned with challenge:

  "Oh I will. Again. And again. And again until you finally say the word. Sorry."

  Pride's sharp inhale of breath was the only indication that he'd been hurt by the blow, though he hid it well. His smirk widened instead, almost like he was delighted by her reaction:

  "You really don't give up, do you?"

  Noel's antlers glowed brighter, her expression set in steely determination:

  "I said I would hit you until you said the word 'sorry'. And I am a woman of my word…so I'm gonna keep doing it until you apologize for being a dick."

  Pride rolled his eyes with a grin before he shot back: "Ahh, who knew that the famous, 'pure and wholesome cinnamon roll' is actually a potty mouth?”

  Noel's eyes flared, she loathed that "pure and wholesome cinnamon roll" image that had somehow stuck to her despite everything. It made her sound soft, vulnerable even, like an innocent, timid little girl with no spine or personality of her own.

  Pride was clearly enjoying her reaction to his comment though, still smirking as he waited for her to reply.

  Despite her irritation, Noel forced herself to stay calm, not letting Pride know how much that label annoyed her. In fact, she managed to give him a sarcastic smile instead as she drawled in return:

  "Yeah, yeah, keep mocking my image. Maybe you're just upset I don't live up to this wholesome reputation you've all given me."

  Pride's smirk widened into a full-blown grin:

  "Ohhh, so you do actually have a backbone.”

  Noel fought the urge to roll her eyes, again, instead replying coolly: "...Of course I have a backbone. Just because I'm not a stereotypical reindeer girl who loves bells and bows and all that crap doesn't mean I'm a pushover."

  Pride's smirk twisted at that, like he was both amused and surprised by her words.

  "Huh. So you're not just a pretty little reindeer chick...you've got bite.”

  Pride flinched this time, his grin slipping for a fraction of a second as Noel’s antlers slammed into him with enough force to make his ribs ache.

  He coughed out a sharp laugh, straightening himself despite the pain flashing across his face:

  “Okay, okay! Damn!” He held up both hands in mock surrender before adding slyly: "...Guess I deserved that."

  Noel didn't lower her weapon though, instead leaning in just slightly closer with narrowed eyes: "Apologize."

  Pride's smile faltered slightly at the close proximity, he was not used to people standing up to him (let alone someone he was currently fighting) and Noel's unrelenting confidence was clearly affecting him, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

  He tried to cover it up with a scoff though, voice dropping into an almost playful purr:

  "Alright, alright. Fine. I'm...sorry for being a dick. Happy now?"

  Noel raised an eyebrow, not seeming entirely convinced by Pride's half-assed apology.

  Pride rolled his eyes, his smirk slipping away entirely as he scoffed again, though this time he sounded exasperated rather than amused.

  "Okay, fine! I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for being a dick! Happy now, you glorified Christmas decoration?"

  Noel's grip on the binds around his wrists loosened as she eyed him cautiously, looking for any sign of trick or deceit.

  Pride held his hands up in surrender, his expression now neutral.

  "Relax, I mean it. I'm apologizing. Honestly.”

  Noel scrutinized him for a second, looking for any hint of lies or deception.

  It was very hard to tell though (Pride was very good at acting indifferent).

  Finally, after a few moments of silence, Noel slowly let go of the binds around Pride's wrists, keeping her antlers pointed at him in warning in case he tried anything though.

  To his credit, Pride rubbed his sore wrists and didn't even think of attacking her again, instead fixing her with a sly grin before saying smoothly: "Truce?"

  Noel didn't respond for a moment, still watching him carefully.

  Finally, though? She reluctantly nodded, letting her antlers fade back to normal as she slowly lowered her guard: "...Truce. For now."

  Pride smirked and rolled his neck with a satisfied pop before crossing his arms and leaning casually against the railing.

  "Good. Knew you'd see reason eventually. Now help me up, will ya?”

  Noel’s eye twitched, her patience for Pride's nonsense wearing dangerously thin.

  She didn't move to help him up, instead tilting her head in mocking sympathy:

  "Oh nooo, the big bad devil is having a hard time standing? How tragic."

  Pride let out an offended scoff before glaring at her from his spot on the ground: "You little brat—!" He didn't let his attempt at tricking the other go to waste as he just went for it: he opened a vortex beneath Noel to pull her in.

  Noel yelped as the ground vanished beneath her, her eyes widening in surprise.

  "Hey, What the—!"

  Pride grinned, using the opportunity to quickly scramble to his feet before calling out gleefully after her:

  "TOODLES FOR NOW, RUDOLPH!!"

  Noel's antlers flared in rage as she fell: "H-HEY, I'M NOT—"

  POOF. Before she could finish her sentence in protest, Noel was sucked into the darkness of a portal and disappeared from sight. Even Yuki and Kaori were sucked in, leaving Chie, Alice, and Juniper standing alone on the roof.