With his back facing Akoni by now, Souta didn’t think twice about curling his lip in displeasure at his remarks.  For a long time, Souta knew the streets as well as he knew a Regalia office, and in the scummier parts of town he met men a lot like Akoni.  They treated younger men with condescension if not outright hostility, so convinced that their long, empty years made them better by virtue of having lived through them.  To be sure, many did know a thing or two more than the others, but often not as much as they liked to think, and certainly not enough to make them anything more than bullies.  Old gangsters were the seniors in high school, and the young blood the freshmen; they had to stand up for themselves to stand a chance.  Souta knew that well enough, and never hesitated to make a stand.  If this overinflated coot thought he had to kneel to speak to him, Souta would make sure he got a glob of spit in the face for his troubles.

[color=teal]”Don’t care about experience, gramps.  As long as you treat us like your inferiors, nobody’s gonna respect you.”[/color]  There existed no reason that Souta could see why Akoni might value his life.   Teams didn’t form at the drop of a hat; they required human connection, which evidently bored and annoyed the busy old fogey.  As far as the smith could discern, he was on his own, unless Mary or the little demon girl contained an ounce of empathy.  He found himself paired with the demon hunter and the lumen sage to venture in the right side, and with a resolution of courage he strode forward at the head of the group.

Even without a speck of food in the dining room, the sight of tables and chairs arranged for eating made Souta’s stomach throb.  He realized that at least fifteen hours must have passed since his last meal, and scowled.  Forcing his eyes away from the table, he found himself drawn to a hanging tablet.  He could not decipher the inscription, but the image of a brilliant sun seemed pronouncedly out of place in a library that so far appeared to be without ornamentation.  The smith narrowed his eyes and adjusted the way Escre rested on his shoulder.  [color=teal]”Hell of an artistic statement.  Nothing on the wall but dust and torches, and then that thing.  If they liked the sun so much, why wouldn’t they have a skylight in every room, instead of crappy torches?  Dumbasses.”[/color]  On a hunch, he leveled his weapon at the tablet.  A gleam of spectral energy shone from its surface, reflecting into the shape of a phantom skeleton.  The apparition flew through the air quickly and gave the tablet a light push.  It obediently shifted a few inches.  As quickly as it appeared, the skeleton vanished.  [color=teal]”Bah.  I thought it might be some sort of button, like you get in movies about Egypt.  Looks like it’s not fixed.  Bet we can take it though.”[/color]