Felix considered for a moment. "It's not that a staff is more user friendly than a wand. When I said that wands are a difficult medium to channel magic through, what I meant is that putting magic through a small wand has a lot of strain on the material. This causes wands to overload and potentially fail on you in crucial times. Staves are more reliable is all. With a wand, because of how small they are, the material has to be of a certain quality or you run the very significant risk of the wand overloading. Unfortunately the woods and metals that stable wands can be made of are very rare, they can only be grown or found in areas with highly concentrated mana waves." Felix explained

"Aetherwoods and aethermetals are hard to come by naturally, and even harder to cultivate artificially. If you ever come upon any seraphwood or umbralwood, you are extremely lucky. You can make a fortune off of the stuff if you could ever figure a viable way of cultivating them. As it stands, places like Academia and the Vatican are in the locations they are because of the highly concentrated mana waves but even they have a hard time cultivating enough of the trees to make weapons from them." Felix waved his hand in the air, a white slender ornate staff 6 feet tall, with a blue glowing mana crystal at the top.



"This was my staff that I used as a Vatican student. It was required for a class I took, but I never really used it very much after. It's ash wood, which isn't necessarily bad but it definitely is not top of the line by any means." Felix extended the staff out to Zuri, "It might be a bit tall for you, but you can have it until you find yourself a better fit." Felix said with a smile.

"If you don't know how to use your mana inventory I can teach you the beginner incantations used to get accustomed to your mana inventory." Felix suggested.

---

Raiya followed Nemo downstairs, "I'd like to say that the only place I had ever heard of you was from my childhood and the battle you had with Felix, but that isn't true. I have heard your name many times from many different people in the Yakuza. 白鬼　(Shiro Oni) is what they call you. Although, most of them talk about you as if you were just a myth, a story to scare children."

Raiya sat down at the table across from Nemo. "I was actually on a lead right before you... er- 'recruited' me" Raiya explained, putting an emphasis on the recruited part, "I had just used my connections to look at the case file that the police had on my parents' murder. Something I found out was that they were Talents, and they definitely weren't killed by normal means. I could sense latent mana waves in the belongings that were bagged as evidence. Though, I know they were their mana waves, the items were saturated in them, and that could only mean they were fighting for their lives before they were killed." Raiya puffed out a sigh, "But it's lookin' like I won't be investigating into this any further anytime soon."

Raiya cocked an eyebrow at the umeshu, "Impressive... Normally I don't like sweet things, but alcohol is a different story. And it has been a hell of a long time since I have had umeshu. The last time was when I was in Japan a few years back." Raiya took the crystal tumbler glass and held it out in front of her.

"To Japan." her toast suggestion hung in the air awaiting Nemo to confirm the toast with a clash of their glasses.

"Oh, I see.." Zuri replies to Felix when he explained to her. Even though she didn't know about the different types of woods and materials he was talking about, she was intrigued by all of this. When a staff magically formed in front of her eyes and when Felix gave it a little backstory before offering it to her, her eyes shimmered with joy and appreciation. "Thanks a lot Felix! I'll return it to you once I find something more fitting, but until then, I'll make sure I take good care of this staff." she said, smiling as she starts taking a closer look at the staff and subtly waving it around, pretending to cast spells with it. Zuri wasn't paying much attention to Felix, but she heard something about a mana inventory, "What's a mana inventory..?" she asks.

"To Japan." Nemo repeated before clinking his glass against Raiya's, quickly downing all the alcohol afterwards in one swig. Afterwards, he poured himself a refill and placed the bottle down in the middle of the table for anybody to use.

"Shiro-oni huh? I suppose that's one of the more chic nicknames." Nemo commented. "And what do you think? Do you find me frightening Raiya?" He questioned. "But then again, I haven't had much chance to display what really got me all those monikers yet anyways."

"I see... Couldn't you just have your 'connections' continue to investigate for you while you're away?" Nemo asked. "I'm sure our time together wont be completely unproductive, after all, if the world ends that would make finding your killer a tad more difficult." Nemo finished, drinking a bit from his glass.

Raiya clinked her glass with Nemo's glass and knocked back the soft amber liquid. The sweet taste of the liquid was quickly replaced with the familiar burn of alcohol. Certainly it was sweet, but it still definitely was alcohol.

"I'm not frightened. I am quite confident in my own abilities, even with what I have seen you display so far, I believe that if I wanted to I could fight you and live, perhaps even win. You're more of a minor annoyance than the nightmare monster many of the underworld would have me believe." Raiya replied, "Although, you did surprise me with the power you have displayed. You are powerful, there is no doubt about that. Unstoppable? Immortal? Death incarnate? I find those claims hard to believe."

Raiya refilled her glass, filling it to the brim this time, and kicked her feet up on the table, leaning her chair back to a balance point. She placed her left hand behind her head, scratching an itch she had, while sipping on her drink with her right hand. She kept her left arm stretched up behind her head while talking.

"I told them expressly not to. You may call it a matter of pride or honor or what have you but I want to be a part of every process involved in finding the killer. This is my work and I will see it completed if it is the last thing I do in this life." Raiya explained

---

Felix leaned back on the lab table once more. He waved his hand, a book appeared in his hands in a flurry of blue flames. He dropped the same book a second later, it vanished into another flurry of blue flames.

"That is the mana inventory." Felix commented, "It is a pocket dimension within your aura where physical items can be stored and recalled at a moments notice. Think if it like an invisible backpack, or closet. The size of your mana inventory depends on the size of your two mana wells which incidentally effects the overall size of your aura. I am constantly suppressing my aura otherwise the resulting mana waves would create a physical vibration everywhere I go that would shake everything around me, and you could see why that would be a problem. But because of the size of my mana wells I can store much more inside my mana inventory than most people." Felix explained.

He took off his glasses and wiped them down with a cloth he materialized from his mana inventory. Then he dropped both his glasses and the cloth, both of them disappearing in a puff of blue flame.

"Because of the fact that I am so accustomed to using this simple recall and dismiss spell, I never have to say the incantations. It's one of the first spells most Talents learn to use second nature, without incantations. Once a person uses a spell enough, they start to get a feel for how the spell is shaped and operates, and can therefore use it without incantations. Although, there are spells that are more powerful when used with an incantation, so it is something you have to learn for yourself. In order to cast the spell to place an item into your mana inventory, you have to feel your aura, bring forth the aura and shape it around the item you are holding and then say this word, 'serere.' In order to bring it back from your mana inventory, you think of the item you placed in the inventory, the feel of the item in your aura, force that feeling to the area you want to make it appear, so in this case your hands, and say 'vocāre.'" Felix explained.

"Does that make any sense?" Felix finished.

Nemo took a drink from his glass as Raiya replied. While he wasn't exactly excited at being called an annoyance, the thought of knowing someone who didn't fear him and considered him an equal was an attractive notion. Attractive enough to douse out his competitive spirit for the time being.

Raiya's response about instructing her gang not to investigate any further intrigued Nemo. "I understand, in fact I can respect that. If someone were to challenge me, I wouldn't want any unnecessary help to defeat them either. But sometimes it is necessary, sometimes bringing the full force of your resources down upon somebody is the only way." Nemo replied. "If your parents were talents, it's likely that the killer is as well. And there's no telling how powerful that person could be now. By choosing to do it alone, you'd be making the same choice I've made countless times. That's why I can tell you how reckless it really is. By putting myself at the greatest disadvantage, it only makes my performance all the more sweeter. Every dance could be my last, without those stakes it wouldn't be a real show. That's all I have to make me feel real." Nemo explained, finishing his drink and placing the glass down on the table.

"That's why I worry for you. If something were to happen to you, well, what would that say about my merit as a partner?" Nemo joked. "While bringing retribution upon this person might make things even-steven, it's not going to make you happy. The end will never be worth the means used to obtain it, especially if the end also marks your own. I'm not saying you should give up on your task altogether, but don't be foolish in the way you do it, don't lose sight of what you can do afterwards. This thing you've set out to do shouldn't be your last act." Nemo finished.

"Interesting advice from the bogeyman of magic," Zoey remarks, coming downstairs behind them. She had finished her mental preparations, but something was bugging her. It had to do with her tool kit: it was very ritualistic, and a bit archaic. However, she thought she happened to be in contact with a man who had access to simple tools, especially the kind of simple tools she wanted. She cleared her throat, "Sorry for the interruption, but I'd like a word with Nemo about the upcoming mission. Specifically, I'd like to talk about obtaining something deadly." She leans against a nearby wall. "I have a bit of a hunch that when it comes to obtaining a weapon, you'd be the man to talk to. I'm not looking for something fancy, but I am looking for something quiet, small, and effective. My throwing stars have limitations I'd like to compensate for."

Raiya kept her chair tilted back, her glass empty, she used magic to lazily levitate her glass and refill it and bring it back to her.

"Oh, I'm fully prepared to fight the talent that killed my parents. The magic waves I detected from their belongings? It was powerful, they were in a fight for their lives, no disciples could kill a few talents while also leaving a magic residue like that." Raiya commented. As Raiya listened she grew a bit irritated, "This fight is mine and mine alone, I will not rely on others to see this task through. I will be the winner in this battle, and I won't be relying others to win it. Relying on others is a weakness that I won't be falling prey to."

Raiya downed the full glass before refilling it again. It felt like to her that Nemo was patronizing her, and she wasn't amused. She was about to say something about it before Zoey interrupted.

"Don't worry about the interruption, the conversation was beginning to make me irritated." Raiya replied.

Nemo looked down to the table, rhythmically rolling his right hand's fingers on the side of his head, not replying to Raiya or Zoey. After letting out a small sigh he leaned back in his chair, now looking up to the ceiling. "Yeah, that would be me." Nemo finally replied after a couple seconds of silence.

He then turned to face Zoey. "I am a smith, but the things I create are custom, akin to a bespoke suit. And not unlike a bespoke suit, the weapons I make take time. Perfection can't just be spawned willy-nilly at the last moment, it has to be crafted over time. But it's as you said, you don't need something fancy. And luckily I think I have something that fits the bill with your requirements." Nemo explained, then spawned a pistol in his right hand.

The pistol he summoned was a chrome plated 380. ACP Walther PPK/S with a ivory grip. Attached to the barrel was a matching chrome plated small pistol suppressor. "I haven't done much work on this one since I acquired it after a encounter with a British intelligence agent. But it should shoot-" Nemo paused, ejecting the magazine from the pistol and bringing the gun up to his ear. He pulled back the slide a few times, carefully listening to the sound it made. "-just fine." He concluded. Putting the mag back in and tossing the gun up into the air. He caught it by the suppressor and extended the gun out to Zoey with the handle facing her. "Don't forget the spare." Nemo added, conjuring a extra magazine with a sleight of hand trick in his other hand. Judging by sight and weight, both of them were already loaded with ammunition.

Zoey took it and checked the magazines, counting the rounds. Six each, eyy? "Sure isn't a lot of bullets. But we don't have a lot of time." She turns it over in her hands, before sliding it through the purple aether of her inventory. "Maybe afterwards, we can talk about a more... custom fit. Since you like pretty things that match and all." She nods to Raiya and heads off down stairs to play more arcade games, mostly to kill off some of the apprehension of waiting around. She had a feeling she wouldn't have to wait long, but her high score could use a good bumping.

Raiya watched the exchange, and she found it interesting. Mostly what interested her was the fact that Nemo obliged to the request. He certainly didn't have any incentive to help other than Zoey being a teammate. But even that wasn't truly an incentive. It wouldn't have been totally out of the question for Nemo to flat out refuse on the basis of physical payment. But not only did Nemo help, he did not ask for any compensation in return which had Raiya scratching her head both figuratively and literally. Could it be that Nemo actually cares for the team? Or is he playing a long con? Is he trying to make a good name for himself to get people to drop their guards? That must be it..., Raiya thought as she drank.

Instead of just thinking, though. Raiya decided she'd ask him straight out,"What are you playing at, Nemo? Just giving people things out of the goodness of your heart? Somehow that doesn't seem like you..." Raiya said skeptically.

Zuri was really surprised when Felix told her about something so convenient known as a mana inventory. When he was done explaining, she took mental notes of 'serere', 'vocāre', and the concepts of using her aura to store items. "Wait, you said invisible.. How do you see the things you've put into your mana inventory? Are you implying it's possible to lose items within your inventory if you forget about it?" she asks Felix.

Nemo's head cocked to the side. "You don't think I'm charitable?" He asked, most of the softness in his face and voice had faded by now. Nemo made a small motion with his forefinger, causing the bottle to slowly levitate over and fill his glass halfway. Using magic for such a menial task was something he would usually avoid, making the act seem somewhat out of place.

Nemo took a sip of the drink before replying. "I don't like lending out my toys, but I'm sure she'll give it back once we're done with the next mission. Think of it like a sample given to a customer to warm them up to the big bucks."

"What am I playing at?" Nemo repeated with a small scoff. "If arming Zoey increases our teams effectiveness, then I am only doing what I was brought here to do. My purpose is to serve, I like to feel appreciated. I like helping, and I even like giving gifts, is that so hard to believe?" Nemo asked

Felix tapped his forehead looking for the answer to Zuri's question. Through years of teaching at the Vatican, he had learned to be patient with new students. So, he took his time explaining.

"Well, you see, the pocket dimension is a part of your aura, once you have stored something inside of it, you can feel its presence just as you feel your aura's presence when you are using magic. It's not a constant feeling, but when you go to retrieve an item from your mana inventory, you have to 'feel' around for the item. When you are 'feeling' around for the item you are able to 'feel' all the other items in your mana inventory as well." Felix explained. "Try the spell with your staff right now. Bring your aura forth and form your aura around your staff, and then say, 'serere' the feeling is much easier to understand through actual practice. We can sit here and talk all day, but I can't fully explain to you a feeling you have never felt before. You have to feel it for yourself."

---

Raiya smirked and scoffed, "'Charitable?' That's not exactly the first word that comes to my mind when I think about Nemo Smiley, the devourer, the destroyer, the white demon. That's like asking me if I think a Great Dragon is charitable. Charitable in leaving destruction in its wake, sure, but does the Great Dragon donate some if its shiny hoard it has stuck up in its roost to orphanages? Don't be ridiculous. No..." Raiya tapped her glass with her forefinger. "There has to be something else, some other motive." Raiya suggested, her eyes narrowing as she spoke.

She listened to his explanation about compensation and how arming Zoey increases the team's effectiveness.

"Now, that former part makes a bit of sense. I too used the same business model when moving some of my gang's, 'merchandise', but increasing the team's effectiveness? You actually expect me to believe you want our team to succeed? And for what to keep, 'the world from ending?' Give me a break. Felix is insane and his little night time delusions are exactly that, delusions. He has used too much magic, the mana has gone to his head and is making him delirious. I can't be the only one who sees it." Raiya commented.

"It's not exactly a sponsorship every establishment desires, but some of the best art houses, theaters, and restaurants wouldn't still be here today if it wasn't for my assistance. Artists help other artists. And as a matter of fact, I'm a anonymous benefactor to multiple orphanages around the world, ones that don't treat children like prospective soldiers. A family is something I never had, I'd like to see as many kids avoid that fate as I can." Nemo replied. "But I don't expect you to trust me, a person like me doesn't deserve something like that. That's the price I've been paying since I was born."

Nemo downed the rest of the Umeshu in his glass before replying. "Of course I want the group to succeed. In fact, I don't just want, I need us to. Failure here would be a stain on my record, and that's just something I wont allow. Felix's mental state is something that means nothing to me. We've already found one paragon, and we already know that the Catholics are gunning for the rest of them. To dismiss all that as nonsense would just be naive. And even if it was, even if these Paragons were just shiny rocks, it wouldn't matter to me. Because powerful people want them, and conflict with powerful people is what keeps my gears turnings."

"Alright, I think I'll give it a shot then." Zuri replies before holding the staff with both hands, looks from top to bottom before she tries to wrap it with her aura. She closes her eyes and focuses, trying her best to do what she was told. Zuri felt her aura slowly surrounding the staff, and once it was completely envoloped within her aura, she says "serere' and it disappears out of her hands. "I-It.. worked?" as she opens her eyes, looking at her hands before looking at Felix and said "I did it!" with a smile.

Felix was happy to see Zuri complete the spell with relative ease.

"Good, now think about the staff, feel your aura, imagine yourself 'reaching' into your aura with your hand to grab the staff, and call out, 'vocāre'" Felix instructed.

---

Raiya raised an eyebrow at the notion that Nemo would donate to orphanages. While she didn't exactly fully doubt the notion, she wasn't quite ready to accept the idea either. Something inside her screamed at her that Nemo was her enemy, her roadblock. And in order for this to be true, she needed to believe he was truly evil. She just kept silent while explained it, her facial reactions the only indicator of what she was thinking.

"While it is true that we did find the paragon, and yes, the paragon has immense power, and yes the arcanocracy wants it, what does it benefit you to help capture them for Felix? Shouldn't you of all people desire them for yourselves? Surely one of a kind relics of power like these do not just fall in your lap as easily as this one has. What's stopping you from taking them for yourself and running? Even Felix isn't omniscient, I'm sure you could get away with it, leaving no trace of where you went after." Raiya suggested.

All this drinking was making her hungry, so she drew a canister of Utz pub mix from her mana inventory, and levitated it to the middle of the table. She took a couple of handfuls of the assorted munchies and began to pop a few pieces in her mouth at a time, crunching the flavorful snackfood with a bit of a ravenous appetite.

Nemo grabbed a couple of the snacks from the canister. "Oh, that's simple." He said, eating one of them. "That all falls into the policy of how I work. When I'm contracted to do something, I will see to it that's it's completed, regardless of what happens. I take loyalty very seriously. And Felix has tasked me with helping him gather all of the paragons, he just didn't pay with money, he paid with my freedom. So until we do my services belong here." Nemo explained, eating the rest of the pub mix he had afterwards.

"You're right though, as a collector the Paragons are quite a fetching prospect. But I can never let my desires get in the way of my work." Nemo finished.

Raiya sighed, "But you are already out of the prison, right? I understand a few things about honor, and keeping your word. But, you're Nemo. Since Felix did the hard part of breaking you out of the prison, that means you are free. Why isn't it that you just leave now that Felix broke you out? Do you think he'd be able to track you down and throw you back into the jail cell of his enemies? He wouldn't really have an option but to let you go at this point right? So why stay? I'm wracking my brain on this but every aspect of it doesn't quite make sense. The person who threw you to rot in a magic prison is, what? Your friend now? Your commander? Your superior? Why would you let yourself be chained down to a group like this?" Raiya asked.

After she finished her diatribe, she grabbed a few more handfuls of the pub mix and began munching again.

"My employer, that's what he is now. Sure, Felix sent me on an early vacation, but I can respect his mettle. If he is able to get over the deaths of multiple of his friends and master at my hand and ask for my help, then I'd be a real horse's ass to keep a grudge over that time-out he gave me." Nemo explained. "I'm here because this is where I want to be, and I have a job to do. It's as simple as that. I'm an assassin, not some uncivilized cutthroat."

"You're here under the same circumstances as I am Raiya, if you think I should leave why shouldn't I be expecting you to take off soon?" He asked.

Zuri followed Felix's instructions and starts visualizing the staff and the concept of taking something out of her aura, raising her right hand forward as if she was about to grab it out of thin air and says "vocāre!", the staff materializes in her hand, subtle swirls of darkness as it completely forms. "Oooo.. This is so cool!" She exclaimed with excitement.