Henry had been gathering information from various citizens under a disguise, trying to figure out where Bastion lived. He felt like she was the first person he needed to apologize to, he did brutally murder her during the battle at Arcadia. And here we stand, in front of her door with a gift basket in hand full of apples, bananas, oranges, and a small package of blueberries. "All right. Now how does this whole apology thing work?" Henry muttered to himself as he knocked on the door idly.

Yet when Henry's knuckles rapped upon the door, it gave way instantly and revealed an apartment shrouded in darkness, not a light to be found with even the windows concealed behind their blinds. No voice greeted Henry and not a finger was raised to invite him in, yet a pair of eyes bored into the doorway with a dispassionate air from whence Henry could not tell.

Henry stood still for a moment, waiting for someone to invite him in. When it became obvious nobody was going to do so he shrugged and stepped through the doorway. "Your door is open so I'm just gonna come in! I brought an apology basket thing!" The dark didn't bother Henry as much as it would've bothered the normal person, he was used to it. He rarely lit candles in his old castle.

His egress was noted with a roll of her eyes, but the woman in the dark didn't bother to raise voice in reply to the intrusion. She knew full well who this was and what crimes he'd commited against her fractured Master, but Roma was willing to give him a chance if he put down the basket and left like a sane person would. All the while she turned a knife over in her hands, wondering what use she'd find for it; be it fruit or flesh.

Unfortunately Henry was about as far from a sane person as you could get in the Nexus. A Gate opened near his free hand and a flashlight fell from it, he clicked it on and began to look around for somewhere to sit while he waited for Bastion. "So I'm gonna assume you're not here right now, meaning I gotta wait for you to get back so I can apologise." He said to nobody in particular, speaking to himself really as he voiced his thoughts aloud. It would be somewhat redundant to just leave the fruit basket with no explanation.

She'd tell Bastion she tried, she really tried, not to make a mess of her apartment, but there was nothing to be done about it now. "You should have left a card with the fruit and left. It would have made your existence less painful." Droned a dull monotone, as Roma stepped into the sweeping beam of the flashlight to give Henry a glimpse of her ire. "This is not your home. Leave now or leave in pieces."

"Oh yeah, a card would've been a good idea huh." Henry mused idly as he continued to look for the chair. Less than a second later portals opened up behind him to reveal several knives peeking out, all pointed at Roma. "I'm pretty sure this isn't your home either. I could be wrong but I never heard anything about Bastion having a roommate so..." He shrugged as he focused the flashlight on Roma. "Anyways, you probably don't know who I am. It's the only reason you could be threatening me, anyone who knew me would be pissing themselves in fear instead." Henry's gaze bore into her, he did not appreciate being threatened by what appeared to be a robber. It explained the open door and the turned off lights, this person had obviously broken in to steal all of Bastion's things. This was a way better apology than a fruit basket, catching a burglar was a great way to make up!

"Why would anyone tell you as such? Or even know for that matter? Though I admit, saying I am her room mate is like saying Eos is my other ride; An understatement."] Roma didn't need to turn to know she was surrounded by blades, the tell tale shimmering radiance of Henry's portals doing well to illuminate the room and set off the contrast between two of the shortest people in the Nexus. Her voice remained it's dull monotone as she raised one hand to her side, the palm raised with a crackling of sparks between her splayed finger tips, as an invisible force pulled the knives from their portals to clang together over her hand in a ball of rapidly compacting metal. "I know full well your transgressions against my Ba-Chan, Demon of Avarice. The question that remains is do you know," And in the hand held at her side formed a blade which Henry would know from his very bones as the one all should fear, even in the Nexus. Roma turned the flat of the sword Eos had strived to copy and presented it for Henry's eyes. "the name of this sword?"

Henry was starting to get annoyed by this woman, no reaction from a clear threat to her life, bringing up Eos and other rides. Shit was nonsensical to say the least, which is why Henry had decided to just shut her up and fire all the knives into her fragile fleshy body. At least that was the plan. Her hand raised and all his blades flew out of the portals, compacting together into a ball of crumpled metal. "All right you have 5 seconds to tell me who you are before I blast you all over the-" A sword. That sword was dangerous. Adrenaline began to pump through Henry's veins as his brain went through the typical fight or flight reaction that all animals had. For the first time in a very long time, Henry wanted to run as fast as he could away from this woman. "Who... no. What are you?" He asked quietly as he began to tremble in fear.

"Tsk. Ignoring the question? How droll." A note of condescension entered her dull tone, and she took steps forward to draw herself and the blade at her side closer to the trembling demon. His fear was palpable, as though a physical aura of terror radiating from his pores and Roma almost thought it worth savoring, yet she knew better then that. Henry had confronted Juno before, and even if he hadn't defeated her he'd still proven resourceful, so it was best to get it over with and pretend she forgot he even existed. "Perhaps it is time you die."

"Roma, no!" In a sudden flair, light was brought back to the apartment. A quick glance to the front would show Bastion by her open door, the light switch having been placed up now. She looked at the scene before her in that mismatched gaze, panic strewing forth as she quickly placed herself in front of Henry. "Roma, stop. Please..." she said, unsure if the other girl would actually listen to her. "I don't want people to die in my house...."

Henry slowly began to back up away from Roma as she got close to him, if he could make it out of the door maybe he could get away and come back later. This was rapidly becoming a life threatening scenario that he couldn't deal with. These thoughts were interrupted by a light cutting through the darkness and the cry of the very person he had come to meet. She rapidly inserted herself between Henry and Bastion, pleading with her to stop. "Bastion we need to leave now. You probably don't trust me, I don't blame you whatsoever. But this thing cannot be reasoned with." He struggled to reach out and grab her so they could run, the only thing stopping him being that he would have to get closer to Roma to do so.

Were it not for an inopportune intervention Roma would have left the world none the worse for Henry's absence, yet she was forced to paused and discard Volunta into nothingness as Bastion arrived at her home. Roma was quick to tune out Henry's simpering and even silenced it with an off hand throw of the crushed metal ball towards his stomach. "Ah, Ba-chan. I had not expected you so early. Otherwise I would have made sure there was nothing here to distress you upon arrival."

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she stepped closer to Bastion, reaching out to hug the panicked girl in a showing contradictory to her ruthless display moments before. "No need to fret. There will be no killing in your house."

Bastion didn't mean to be rude, but she ignored Henry's words in place of keeping Roma in check. Once she made sure there wouldn't be any killing, she would turn over to her apparent guest. "Thank you," she mumbled among Roma's kimono sleeves as she was kept in that embrace. Slowly, she tried to move her gaze away and onto Henry now. "Um...sorry about that. You're the new Demon that joined the Machina, right? I think we fought before. Please don't mind Roma. She's only trying to help," Bastion offered, hoping to make his near-death experience less awkward than it should be. "Why are you here?"

Henry knees turned to jelly as he slumped onto the wall, taking deep breaths as the air of death vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Then the ball of metal collided with his stomach and Henry keeled over. "Fuck!" He cried out as the pain cut through his state of panic. Roma and Bastion were now hugging, which gave Henry a moment to think. Power beyond his understanding combined with the name of Roma painted a very clear picture of who this person was according to his history lessons. He just threatened a Vassal. Bastion turned to him and began to speak, apologizing for Roma's attempt to kill him. "No worries. Not your fault." His voice steadied as he attempted to regain his air of nonchalance. She asked why he was here and Henry smiled, holding up the fruit basket he had in his hand this whole time. "I came to apologize for killing you. Figured we're coworkers now, not only that but it would appear as if Machina are way friendlier than Demons. So I just thought it was a good way to introduce myself."

Henry straightened up, noting that he was taller than both of them which was weird, and held out his hand in offer of a handshake. "My name is Henry Pearl Avaritia the 2nd. Most just call me Henry."

Roma noted the mood had shifted far enough from hostility she could release Bastion and slide in to stand beside her. "Apologize? That is good. Seeing as Bastion has accepted, I shall spare your life while you are allies." Roma said, her smirk hollow as it favored Henry before melting into cool neutrality once more. She left his offered hand for Bastion to accept and looked over to the basket, "Perhaps you would like to join us in partaking in the fruits of camaraderie? I suppose I am not one myself but I would like to think I am a patron of the Machina in many respects. "

Bastion wasn't sure what surprised her more; that Henry had gone out of his way to apologize or that Roma was smiling. Granted, it was an empty smile and Henry had killed her, but it was all the same. "Oh! Um, I accept your apology Henry. And your fruit basket," she said, taking the gift and wondering where he had gotten such a thing in a bustling city like Hyperion. "I'll go make some drinks," she said, hoping she could leave the two alone now without them trying to kill each other. Or rather, without Roma having to paint her apartment red.

Henry nodded at Roma's statement, quite kind of her to spare his life. Whether it was because he apologised or because Bastion didn't want a dirty apartment, Henry neither knew nor cared. His smile grew warmer as Bastion accepted the fruit basket, however it immediately morphed into a frown the moment she left to get some drinks. "Thanks for not killing me." Henry said without passion as he glanced at the Vassal of Energy. "May I ask why a Vassal is cuddling up with a random Machina soldier? Just curious." A portal opened beneath the metal ball on the floor, dropping it into his collection, while another portal opened above his hand and dropped an apple into his grasp. He had a lot of food in Tartarus, it's how he managed to make a fruit basket in a city with no human food.

Left to their devices Roma looked Henry over, amused his hoarding nature shined through in taking the crushed knives. An amusing trait, so long as he kept to hoarding his own property and not started purloining Bastion. "Oh, you think she is a common soldier? 'The Queen's Treasure' but a common grunt? She herself may believe that but it is far from the truth. Bastion is someone very important to me and my kin." She approached the table and stood beside Henry, seemingly perusing the available fruit for whatever suited her tastes. "You are not so low yourself. Your use of the eyes is not very refined, but Juno found you noteworthy and that is commendation in its own right. Not the stuff of Vassals, but lesser men have done far greater things then the works of those even above my station. Who knows what the future holds if you abide by Machina, and...do not stray."

Henry snorted at the idea of Bastion being a common soldier. "Of course she's not some random grunt. She gave me a run for my money and very few people can do that." Henry pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at Roma as she perused the fruit. "But if all it took was a little power for a Vassal to hang around you, then Archorus would be attached to my hip like a siamese twin." He shrugged as he took a bite of his apple, swallowing and sighing. "Whatever. What you do is your business." Roma complimented him and Henry chuckled. "Juno found me noteworthy huh? Don't see why, she kicked me through a mountain with no effort. I'll take what I can get though." He ignored the minor jab at his use of the Eyes and continued to listen, noting the subtle question of his loyalty to the Machina. "For what it's worth, I plan on sticking around. I worked for Hell for decades and never got so much as an acknowledgement, meanwhile I've been here a day and Eos herself thanked me for my efforts. I can appreciate it around here."

"Believe me, you would not want Archorus at your hip. She would be feeding you icicles at the slightest infraction, and she is none to picky of the hole she uses either." The Vassal of Energy said, levity entering her demeanor as she took a pear from the pile and savored a small bite. "As for Juno, that you attempted to challenge her so many times was worthy of note, even if the outcomes were inevitable. Be proud you forced her to escalate beyond the level she deigned to begin with."

"Hell has always been peculiar with it's....I hesitate to say leadership, but Eos is indeed a kind ruler for those who work to earn her favor, though do keep in mind, for all the rewards we may lavish you, we expect you to make sacrifices for the good of the Machina. My Eos may get soft at times but I will not let her be taken advantage of."

Henry shuddered at the image of Archorus feeding him icicles. "Gross." He smirked as Roma expanded upon her statement of Juno praising him. It did make him feel a little better about getting punted through several tons of rocks. She then began to talk about Hell, Henry nodding in agreement as she spoke of their leadership. "Nonexistent is a good term to use." He interjected before she changed topics. Sacrifices for the greater good huh?

"I can do sacrifices. I just impaled myself to take down one of Hell's top players in the latest battle. If that's not a sacrifice I don't know what is." It was only after he said that, that Roma's words caught up to him. "Wait, your Eos? Please don't tell me you're the secret leader of the Machina. Then I have to consider that the other factions are lead by Vassals."

"Oh no, no. You misunderstand. Eos is indeed mine by lawful marriage, but I have no control over the Machina's affairs. As they would say, I sold out my shares in the company, to remain impartial before those upstairs. What course the Machina, Heaven, or Hell take is of their leader's will. In fact, you could say they were chosen specifically because of this. The Nexus is a cruel universe but that is one concern you can be free of."

"If I am anything to the Machina, I would perhaps be it's co-founder who is not in the picture anymore. The children left the lab and do not need their mother any longer." She released a small sigh and looked out towards the windows, a flick of her finger raising the shutters that drowned out the neon lights beyond. "They have not the perfection of Heaven or the untamed might of Hell, but the Machina are still a great people...."

Henry looked a little confused but was relieved nonetheless. He was gonna kill the Hell faction leader one day, so it was good to know he didn't have to take on a Vassal. He also filed away that little tidbit about Eos and Roma being married, which made the relationship between Roma and Bastion even more mysterious. What a complicated faction he had joined. What a fun faction he had joined.

She opened the windows and stared out at the neon cityscape, Henry letting an genuine smile slip as she talked about the Machina. "I can't say I appreciate the people unfortunately. Most of them hate me for being born. But I will guard this city nonetheless, for it is my new home. Maybe one day they'll like me if I protect them well enough." A fantasy most likely, but one worth dreaming about.

"Ah, tea's ready!" Bastion chimed in, appearing from again with a tray held in hand. She noticed that the fruit basket had already been open and that the others were eating so she went about placing a cup down for everyone. "Sorry if it's not the best Henry. With such short notice and everything...anyway, I hope Roma didn't scare you too much earlier. Sorry about that again," she said nervously, trying to brush off that display with a laugh. "Did you just come to apologize or....?"

Henry perked up at the mention of tea, he always enjoyed tea time with Victoire. "Any tea is fine, I'm not a noble anymore so I don't need to have high standards." He laughed at his own joke, smiling as Bastion apologized once more. "Oh no, I was terrified. I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life actually, you're quite lucky to have such a powerful protector." He was smiling nonetheless, he was over it by this point. Bastion asked if he only came to apologise, which gave him a moment's pause.

"Well... originally I had just come to apologise. Now there's something else on my mind." Henry's gaze swiveled to Roma, his face a bit pleading. "Do you think you could train me? It's not everyday that I get to meet the strongest being in the Nexus, much less under friendly terms."

"Oh please." She raised a sleeve to her mouth to conceal a small laugh, feigning the airs of a refined noble lady. "Flattery is not needed for such a simple request I could see myself obliging you in this matter, a token of appreciation for your enthusiastic service in the face of adversity, though I would require a token in return. Well, not for me specifically, but for the Machina." The sleeve came down and the Eel favored Henry as a stern teacher to a potential pupil. "If I am to improve your eyes, you will share the armaments at your disposal with those serving beside you. You need not bleed yourself dry and be a pauper, but I ask you share your powerful arms when you are not using them. That sounds fair, no?"

Henry laughed a little. "Flattery certainly helps though." Roma asked for Henry to do something for the Machina in exchange and he nodded. "Anything for my new kingdom. Literally anything." Roma lowered her sleeve and got serious. Henry had to share his weapons with the Machina when he wasn't using them. A conflicted look flickered across his face as his nature as a Demon of Greed roared inside of him, but he squashed it down. "Of course. I will of course have to figure out a way to make sure they aren't stolen from me permanently, but I am perfectly willing to loan out my weapons to the Machina." Henry hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. "I'll go a step further. I will return half of the Machina technology I have collected over the years. It is only fair I return what I have taken. Mostly." He added that last bit in hastily, he wasn't giving away all his Machina tech. That shit was useful.

Her brow rose, finding Henry had woefully misinterpreted her wishes yet still carried on before she laughed once more without the aid of her modesty being preserved. "Henry, I do not intend to leave you under powered. Your strength does come from your vast hordes of treasure, but I meant you should loan them when you enter the battlefield to bolster your comrades, not arm our armies out of your own pocket. Frankly most grunts would rather their rifles then an enchanted sword, after all. Though if you are offering, Eos will surely appreciate any technology returned you deem fit to."

Henry let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god. I would've been quite stressed if I had to give someone my sword. Yeah I can arm soldiers in battle. My offer of returned technology still stands as well, I've been meaning to reorganise for a bit. Getting rid of some stuff I don't ever use helps me." His eyes went blank for a moment as he took inventory of how many guns he had along with ammunition. Life returned to his eyes quickly as he focused on Roma once more. "Yeah I can arm an army when I enter battle. No problem." He took a sip of his tea. This wasn't half bad actually.

"Good, then I think that concludes our talk of business." Roma declared, accepting her tea with a gracious nod, eager to enjoy Bastion's company while they had their reprieve between conflicts. Speaking of which, the main guest looked between one person and the other. She had no right to question if Roma should take on an apprentice. If anything, it was a better hobby for her than to be stalking Hyperion's idol business. And it wasn't like she had much of a right to speak up when it didn't concern her anyway...well, whatever worked she supposed.

Mephilius may have missed when he charged at his opponent, but he's not nearly the slouch Flos thinks him to be. As the opponent angel dashes back to nick the demon at his heel, the Phantom Horseman is quick to retaliate back at him. He quickly camouflages as he blends into the wall in almost an instant. This should throw the Angel off into thinking he used it to escape, but alas it isn't the case. His boosters fire a quick stream towards Flos just only a mere seconds after "disappearing", as he slams his armored hide into his. The camouflage breaks as Mephilus attempts to smother Flos' face to the ground as they fly towards the closed demon gates.

"And you're pathetic to think I'm giving it my all," the armored demon replies with a grin forming beneath the helmet, "I'm just getting started!"

---

Ghelgath's eyes bolt open as he takes a deep breath of cold icy air. The Lich raises as he sits on the edge of his bed and begins to feel his stomach and innards as if he believes they indeed are destroyed... and to his relief, they haven't been. Of course, he only had to be sure of this. He wakes to find himself back in his icy castle and alone in his bedroom. Another defeat came to the Grand Lich of Hell and not only did he die... but wastes the one most important thing that keeps him from literally frying up.

His frozen heart.

In a burst of rage, Ghelgath rips the icicle extending from the side of a wall and throws it on the ground, shattering it to bits.

"FUCK!" he yells as he begins taking several deep breathes to calm himself down.

The hell was he thinking when he thought that using his Frozen Heart can give him a fighting chance against those Angels? At the very least he was not killed by the army general who actually did almost slice him in half if his sword was deeper into his skin. Still... a frozen heart doesn't come cheap. While he can create any ice construct, his frozen heart is something more special. While it can regenerate eventually, it takes a very long while for it to actually reform fully. As a result, he now is vulnerable to all sources of heat, especially to incredibly hot environments. Now if he's going to battle, he has to be wary of such environments along with all sources of heat attacks. His powers can mitigate the effects still, but regardless he is still vulnerable none the less.

The Lich then proceeds to walk down the stairs as he begins sulking in his own foolishness... only to find something sitting on his throne.

It is a nice wooly sweater with a light-blue hinge coloring to it, with a tag saying:

"To Ghelgath - From Apia"

---

Marie decided shortly after bagging Eve to simply head back to Hell. Having the satisfaction of eliminating two harpies from the battlefield, having killed Marceroy and capturing Eve, she seemed like her job was finished, not to mention having the odd feeling that the demons would loose this battle. This she didn't truly care about. All she lusts is for the blood of her enemies and to save a few for some good ole' torturous entertainment. Today she already accomplished those two goals in a swift and efficient manner.

And she's pleased... for the time being that is, until the next battle pops up.

---

Relative to the lofty grandeur of Celestia, Suparna clung to the neck of a golden dragon as they descended through the thick cloud layers and soared towards more frigid lands, where the warmth of the sun was forgotten beneath eddies of teeth chattering cold. The temperature was unnerving to the maggot collective, her poor constitution to the elements made all the worse when having spent her time amidst the heat of Hell, not this polar opposite. Still she clung tighter to Diana's scales and stole herself through the journey, accepting the many pains of her change in loyalty as much as the boons it had offered.

The severity of their journey- and as they would discover, their destination as well- was part of the numerous rigors that made Valhalla such an effective training ground. With a final drop in altitude they fell beneath the clouds and glimpsed the land of Norse antiquity raised anew upon the Nexus.




"Down there!" Suparna shouted against the din of rushing wind and snow, tapping Diana's neck before pointing towards the nearest spire and the inviting lights of fire and cheer, her spirits alighting even higher as she glimpsed the beating wings of hulking Draconian forms braving the same winds as Diana, some circling around the spears of stones jutting from the landscape while others flew off and were lost from sight amidst the intense storms beyond and between. "Let's go say high to the locals."

Suparna directed them towards a plaza built against the side of the spire, the flat expanse dominated by clusters of people going about their affairs, and seemed as good a place as any to land and chat up the inhabitants for the goings on of their harsh home.

Apia finally found the last RILD member in the Halls of Hell, and naturally, Apia was a bit intimidated by her appearance. The snagged-toothed grin in conjunction with the dark eyes really made Apia uncomfortable. Alas, she had to ask Dana a question, so she worked up the courage to approach the big bad leader with her head held semi-high. There was always the underlying thought that she'd die... but hey, if she did she could always go to someone else? That was a guess, but it was really Dana that was one of the best cases for this.

"Hello, Dana. Is this a bad time to ask you a question...?" She smelled a lot like eldritch horror... essence, so Apia didn't know what to really take from that. She could've been very busy with someone and Apia didn't want to intrude on that.

Several hours had passed since the incident at the Oblivion Dungeon and Titanica is still looming at large. Since escaping from the hellhole that seemed to be her prison, the vassal has traveled over ten miles just by walking alone and only taking very few light breaks in between. Where she is going, no one would really know. The scent she has smelled way before has virtually disappeared. Was her target destroyed by someone? Did it disappear into another dimension? She doesn't know. All she knows now is that she is alone and awake, walking aimlessly as she tries to figure out what to do next. There's no way she's going to get herself involved with the pathetic war that has been continuing since the dawn of time, especially since Iona and Helena had rudely jumped on her while trying to persuade her into joining a side. She chose neither...

Her answer? A fight... and one that she lost due to her repulsive nature.

That wretched anger of vengeance still flairs from within Titanica's reactor-like heart, yet already the vassal beginning to loose steam. At last, she's finally beginning to calm down, granted its only slight, but its progress none the less. She can always go back to sleep for another who knows how many centuries, yet her eyes refuse to be shut for more then a few seconds. She might as well take a stroll down the Nexus and see what's going on since she last woke up.

Her trek has lead her to a thick jungle environment, one thick with foliage and full of wildlife. The sounds of life echo around the vassal naturally as she continues walking alongside the edges of the forest. Of course, some of these noises were in fact distressed screeches, alerting the nearby residents of her arrival. After all, Titanica's aura was thick, a scent which would burn the nostrils of those sensitive towards it. No doubt would it attract attention from within, for the better... or worse...

---

"Hmmmmm..." Zyata smiled, her tail wagging back and forth through the air as she sighted down the barrel. ~Dunno what this fool is doing messing around near the edges of the Amazonian jungle, but she'll soon find herself a pretty prize back at the market or maybe even the Colosseum!~ Zyata prayed that this might be the big prize that elevated her status higher than practically a Maiden. Concealed in brush, she aimed for Titanica's legs, waiting with all the silent breathless patience of a born killer. One who couldn't quite convince her tail to stop wiggling.

BLAM PING SQWUAK!

Zyata's eyes went wide as her bullet bounced off Titanica without the slightest effect. A mere measily mortal bullet is virtually unable to harm the vassal, let alone her kind. Her tough skin not only allows the bullet to bounce off effortlessly, she didn't even seem to notice that it actually hit her.

And then a harpy fell out of the sky between them, slamming into the ground and immediately dying, while one torn off wing slowly wafted after it. The vassal stops dead in her tracks as she glowers her eyes down at the dead bird. She moves her eyes up to see a humanoid-kitty aiming her gun at Titanica herself. She looks down at the character while her eyes seemed to twitch angrily as she flares her white-sharp teeth with a sinister-sounding growl

"Uh... Um... Harpy? They taste just like chicken." Zyata smiled her best nervous smile as she pointed her gun upwards, to try and play it off that she had fired at the Harpy, and not the immensely strong beast that could probably kill her with a stare.

Titanica slowly takes several steps towards the humanoid until she can look almost directly down at Zyata. Her grimance glare eyes the cat carefully, yet before one may suspect in the creature utterly demolishing the poor hunter-now-turned-victim, the vassal speaks to her in a low voice.

"What do you want..." she growls in annoyance as her tail sweeps away excess foliage away, creating a tiny clearing within the thick brush.

"Well... Ah.. Um... Right this moment... To continue living. If that wouldn't be too much trouble." Zyata was all to used to acting cocky... but this particular situation was definitely out of her league, and she shouldered her rifle as she put her hands up as non-aggressively as she could manage. "I'm also trying to gather enough wealth or prestige or mechanically inclined captives to get some indoor plumbing and a hot tub. Harpy doesn't sound bad actually for lunch, I'm a mite peckish. It'd be nice if I was better respected, and I enjoy a good hunt... But ah, those are more, long term goals." Zyata rear leg shifted a little bit backwards, but she tried to restrain herself from fleeing. That'd just be asking Titanica to chase.

"Er is uh.. there anything you want? Maybe I could help you find something? You're clearly stronger than me, but I know this jungle like the back of my tail! It's not every Amazon that dares hunt alone when they're not strong enough to chuck mountains at people." Zyata refocused the conversation as best she could.

The vassal continues to remain silent after Zayata's first paragraph of words, only uttering a deep and guttural growling noise as she continues looking down at her. However, then the cat woman asked if there was anything she wanted at all. That's when Titanica remained silent for a while, with only the sound of a deep exhale through her nostrils. She seemed almost conflicted, as she pauses to think on why she was awake in the first place. Another snort raises from her nose as she slowly begins to turn away.

"I'm... looking for something." she responds bluntly as she slowly begins walking away, "None of your business, cat woman."

"But I just said I could help you find something! Mhhr." Zyata harrumphed, complaining that Titanica wasn't listening to her. Before realizing, oh, if Titanica didn't want to continue paying attention to her, then that meant she was free to go! Zyata started tiptoing away in the other direction, heading for the Harpy. Lunch was lunch after all.

But after Zyata cut off the leg that looked more delicious, she turned back to Titanica slowly fading form (she was an easy person to spot after all). ~That's the most interesting thing I've had to hunt.. Ever.. Am I really letting that slip by me? You hardly live up to your precious Tiger Totem if you let one little lizard scare you away.~ Snatching the leg up between her teeth, Zyata started stalking Titanica from within the treeline, leaping from branch to branch, timing her take off and landings to match Titanica's steps and mask the little noise the lithe tiger woman made. She didn't really know whether that would help, strong people usually had crazy sensory abilities, but it'd at least make Zyata feel like she was hunting and not tagging along.

Even if the Vassal realized that it was being followed, she didn't quite care at this point. Right now she's exhausted from the encounters at Oblivion Dungeon as the rage begins to shed off her skin. Titanica just needs to rest for a few moments before continuing on with her quest. Maybe a nice warm hot springs will help her regain her strength. She has seen a large volcano nearby so it should house a spring or two right...?

Indeed, after walking for just a little longer, she finally reaches the base of the volcano and spots a large natural hot springs with steam raising from the clear natural waters. This place is perfect for her to hunker down for a bit. With an exhausted groan, she approaches the springs as her tail simply drags tiredly behind her. Titanica takes the time to shed her reptilian-esque garments, revealing both a solidly chiseled and curvy figure, as if she can show any more of her skin already. She dips her foot into the water, sighing as the warm tingly sensation floods her entire body. She hasn't entered a hot springs in several cycles, as well as being much more used to the cold temperatures of the ocean. The Vassal submerges her entire body into the water for a few seconds before rising as she snorts out the hot water. She then turns her body to the center and lays her back calmly on the edge of the pool, with the tip of the tail waving stiffly out from the water.

Another guttural sigh purrs her lips as she closes her eyes and begins to rest up, seemingly unaware of Zayata's presence nearby.



Titanica would find it difficult to maintain being either unaware or seemingly unaware of Zyata's presence as a "BANZAI!" rang out and a naked Zyata cannonballed into the hot spring with a mighty splash. Well, mighty at least in comparison to her size, rather less so than if Titanica decided to make some waves.

"Haaa, you were just looking for a hot spring?" Zyata doggy paddled over to Titanica once she surfaced with a gasp, with all the small irony that contained. "I could have easily helped with that, though, admittedly, you found a pretty good one yourself. I give this one 4 out of 5. I consider myself a connoisseur of warm waters!" Zyata took a spot nearby Titanica on the edge on the edge, and gave a self-aggrandizing flourish towards herself as she said the word "connoisseur". It gave out of her mouth a little bungled, probably the word being a little bigger than her education accounted for and she was trying to sound fancy. Still, it seems Titanica's ease had lightened the mood up a little for Zyata to be a little more of her outgoing self and less of a cat in the headlights.

But just before Titanica can get situated into her environment, she suddenly sees Zayata jumping into the pool with her while yelling at the top of her lungs. As she cannonballs into the spring, the hot water flushed over the Vassal as she sat perfectly still. The warm water seemed to have refreshed her face a bit and thankfully none got into her eyes. All she simply does is sigh in utter disappointment. Can people just stop finding or following her for one damn second?

She seemed to completely ignore the cat's response as she began swimming in the water and rating this place a nice 4 out of 5. Yet Titanica suddenly realized something... this person is a cat basically. Does that mean...?

"Doesn't your kind utterly HATE water...?" the Vassal asks with a hint of sass.

Zayata looks up in annoyance.

"I am a Tiger, not a house cat!" she retorts right back as she kicks back on the rocks, "Tigers love water... I think."

The Vassal squints at the so-called "Tiger" in heavy suspicion as she eyes her carefully.

"Define... you THINK?" she asks in a disgusted fashion as her lips flared briefly before dying down.

The cat seemed to hesitate for a bit, looking down at the water with a shameful glance on her face. She appeared to be hiding something...

"Well?" coaxed the Vassal with an eyebrow of slight curiosity.

"Uhh..." hesitated Zayata briefly while fidgeting lightly and biting her thumb, "Don't tell anyone this.. But I've never actually met a tiger."

Another sigh exhales from Titanica's mouth as she simply rolls her eyes.

"Well what are you then?" the Vassal asks unmovingly as she continues sitting where she is with her tail slowly swaying in the winds.

"I.. Uh, well, I'm an Amazon.. And, well, I really liked the tigers in the comics and images I occasionally got.. So, er.. I tried this one ritual I found in a book supposed to "Tie one to one's Totem Animal" and thought about tigers a lot, and, bam.. Here I am. Still haven't met an actual tiger yet." Zyata explained her... not exactly the most auspicious origin story, not looking the most happy with her. It wasn't all that super dramatic or amazing. Or really, anything that interesting at all. It was the absence of interesting. But still, she resolved more cheerily! "But, er! I like being a sorta tiger. The power's neat, and the tail's great. Love the tail. I'll meet one someday, I'm sure of it."

"Sooo.. What about you?" Zyata looked curiously back at Titanica, after being shyly introspective for a moment. "I mean, you've got the whole lizard.. or dinosaur maybe? thing going on. Are you a Totem Animal user too or something?"

Farris rose from the small crater formed when she collided against the ground, breaking into the catacombs much like the Dragon. Her stoic attitude didn't change, despite the heavy hit. The Herald brushed the dust off of herself, after eliminating any nearby Demon Roses, and flew back into the air.

Farris rejoined the fight in time to see that there was one more demon still willing to oppose Saef and her. The Dragon seemed to be preparing its strongest attack. Saef's spell disrupted it but wasn't enough to force the dragon to a halt, because of the —was that a harpy?— demon deflecting part of it. This gave the time Farris needed to snare the Dragon —and possibly the corrupted harpy, too— in crystal chain, rendering it unable to dodge what came next: Farris response for a foe as powerful and brute as the Demon Rose Dragon. Such a response came in the form of a huge crystal meteor, hurtling from the skies right at them.
The Dragon's breath attack was interrupted by Saef's magic. Thanks to Atarah's attempts at mitigating the effect, it wasn't totally wasted though and the great demonic beast could recover the energy it lost in a matter of moments. However, just as it was about to unleash its destructive might at the Heavenly warrior, chains of holy crystal bound it in place, forcing the Dragon's maw close and cutting its mobility.

All of the blood it gathered, splashed back on the ground like a rain of corrupted vitae, painting the earth in its vivid crimson. Such a view would be beautiful if Victoire's magic wasn't the apex of unholiness. Crimson roses; as beautiful as they are tragic. Nevertheless, such beauty was fleeting. Just like roses are born, bloom and wither so did the Dragon as soon as Farris' divine smite rained upon it.

The destruction of the Dragon also expunged the remaining Demon Roses from the rest of the battlefield. Looks like Victoire's magic had finally worn off after her last creation was defeated. A wind as cold as death itself blew the withering petals away, sealing the Angels' victory, unless... any more opposition was left.
"..." Victoire raised her head silently, looking into the distance, far beyond Pandemonium's walls. For a moment she seemed upset —or was it sad?— before turning to face the remainder of Hell's leadership. "It seems like our efforts were in vain," she said in a low voice, "Excuse me, I must... rest now. Even if our efforts were void, I gave it all that I had. The fatigue is catching up with me," Victoire added.

She curtsied graciously —though, not as pompously— once more before walking away from the Hell's throne room. On her way out of the Demon Fortress, Victoire tried to avoid contact with anyone else. The Blood Countess was visibly upset. There was no telling what could happen if she was disturbed now.
"Well, this place looks kinda neat," Diana said as Suparna and she explored the frozen lands. A metallic sound ringing loud and rhythmically on her ears came from the direction the two of them took called Diana's attention. As the two of them approached the busy square, it became evident that it was the workshop of a blacksmith. Weapons and armor hung from the same eaves as horseshoes and spades, a testament to Asgard's lifestyle.

Other shops and businesses, like an inn-tavern that looked more like a celebration hall, lined themselves along the road, all leading to what seemed to be the core of this settlement: A great stone building whose entrance was flanked on each side by statues of the Angel of Death carved in polished obsidian, which was so prevalent in these volcanic lands. "I don't know about you, but if I were looking for directions, that would be the place I'd go first," Diana commented kinda goofily as the two of them walked around.

---

"Are you guys absolutely sure we can't play a collaborative game? It's no fun when two of us have to lose for the other to win.." Tsukuyomi's complaint might ring a little truer if she wasn't currently counting out the rent money she was handing over to Susanoo. Tsuku was meticulous about it, and one might consider her hesitant, if they didn't know her and her obsession with counting. If one wasn't paying attention, one might not be sure if this was her double or triple check of whether the money was right. Regardless, her ears twitched and turned slightly, following the bounce of her eyes as she counted each bill.

"Of course sister! It is only through the domination of one's foes that you can grow as an individual!" Susanoo was drunk again, it showed through the blush on her cheeks and the whiskey bottle near her. She took the money with pleasure, her snake tail lazily waving back and forth behind her like a dog wagging it's tail. "Now then! I wish to build a hotel on Boardwalk!" She didn't even have any property on Boardwalk, much less the money for a hotel. She clearly neither knew the rules of the game nor cared, she just liked spending time with her sisters.

"Susanoo was the one who suggested we play this game," Amaterasu responded, barely any inflections in her voice. "And besides, how will we grow individually when we always work together?" Amaterasu was uncomfortably monotoned, or at least she would be to anyone else. To her sisters, this seemed completely normal. Alas, her palm connected to her forehead out of annoyance as Susanoo tried to buy a hotel on Boardwalk. "You need to own Boardwalk, first, Su-chan."

"But we always are together!" Tsuku quickly interjected, her ears going straight up as if trying to listen for a threat. The idea of trying to grow individually compared to her sisters practically anethema to her. She tried to calm down, placing a hand of her chest as she took a few breaths. "Er, that is, I mean, that's our special thing. Heaven's full of gods who think they can defeat the forces of Hell or Machina all on their own, but we work as a team. Usually." This last word was stated with a glance towards Susanoo.

Susanoo frowned as she raised a hand to her chin, deep in thought about what Tsukuyomi was saying. "Of course, and we shall continue to be together forever. But if we grow as individuals, than we are even greater when together! I think." She grabbed her booze and took another deep drink. "Ama-chan, of course I own Boardwalk. Do you not remember when I slay the manager and turned it into my own personal kingdom!?" She was of course referring to about 5 minutes ago when she slammed the table really hard and poured a bunch of houses on Boardwalk.

"If we are caught alone, we must be able to stay alive and bring honor to the other sisters." Amaterasu stated before she calmly lifted up the dice and placed them in front of Tsukuyomi. "It would seem that the kingdom has gone into anarchy. Sorry Su-chan. Maybe next time." Amaterasu twiddled her thumbs a slight bit as she waited for her turn. She could feel one emotion right now, and that was how she was glad that she was the dog piece. She liked dogs and her sisters, but that was about it.

"I.. That.. is.. Of course, it's fine, if we're doing stuff individually for the group. With the... Uh.. Um.. Yes.. Everything is fine." Tsuku's ears slowly slouched back down a little. "So... I hmm.. Do you go to jail when you land on jail?" Tsuku hopped her little shoe over to the jail space, though not the "go to jail" space. And then she hopped back to where she had started, and counted again to make sure that was where she would land, gently tapping on each space as she passed it.

Susanoo expression morphed into one of annoyance. "So the peasants believe they can defy their empress? I shall show them how wrong they are once I return!" Susanoo grabbed the dice after Tsuku-chan made her move, throwing the dice at the table so hard they were partially embedded into the wood. This had happened enough times that they needed to get special dice that wouldn't shatter from Susanoo's sheer strength. She then smiled and moved her little tophat 11 spaces onto Park Place which was currently owned by Ama-chan. She was the tophat because she was an empress, it only made sense really.

"No, Tsuku-chan. You would be just visiting the jail tile." Amaterasu looked down at her Park Place card and checked how much the rent was. "Thirty-five dollars, Su-chan. That is the rent." Amaterasu lifted up the dice afterwards and gently rolled them on the table, rolling a six and a five, and landing her on the Community Chest. "Tsuku-chan, can you read the card for me?" Amaterasu asked, seeing as the pile of chest cards was closer to Tsuku than herself.

"Oh, um, sure!" Tsuku looked around for a moment before spotting the cards, a bit surprised at the request. "Ah, hmm hm." She cleared her throat, as though she were about to give a dramatic reading rather than inform Amaterasu of the happenings of a simple game card. "Advance to go. Collect $200." She enunciated clearly but with energy. Energy that defied the rather plain nature of the card. "Oooh, that's wonderful, Ammy! Do you think the $200 is in addition to what you get for landing on go, or that it's just reminding you?" Tsuku sat up to be able reach across the table and give Amaterasu a side hug, bumping the table on her way up. This knocked one of the only buildings Susanoo had legitimately purchased from her territory to the "Go To Jail, square." The peasant uprising indeed.

"Oh? You would make your own sister pay just to spend a night in her home? How cruel Ama-chan." Susanoo had the puppy dog eyes going, which was kind of ruined by the fact that she was leaning towards Amaterasu and was about to fall over on the board. She flailed her arms wildly and hit the table at the same moment Tsukuyomi did, jostling the board and knocking over several buildings. "Haha! Perish, for you have disobeyed your goddess!" She hit Boardwalk as hard as she could, cracking the table and basically obliterating both Park Place and Boardwalk. She then realised what she did and giggled. "Oh, sorry Ama-chan. The peasants had to be punished for their insolence." Susanoo leaned over the table, knocking the pieces all over, and hugged her sisters. Board game night was so much fun, now she just needed to convince them to play Risk.

"I believe that it would be a re-" Amaterasu paused mid-sentence as she witnessed the destruction of the two tiles, and about half of the GO space. "... it would seem that you owe more now, Su-chan." Why did she agree to playing these games every time? It always ended with the trio buying another game because Susanoo broke it. "In any case, I will be the one to buy Boardwalk, where I shall quell this 'rebellion'." Amaterasu passed four-hundred Monopoly dollars to Tsukuyomi as a small bit of blue light appeared where the broken part of the board was. It was solid, so it could support houses and such. "Your turn again, Tsuku-chan."

"Ahhh..." Tsuku sighed contentedly as Susanoo's absurd strength drew the sisters together in a very physical sense. She burrowed her face deeply into the hug, perhaps never to leave, when she was distracted by Amaterasu passing her something to count. "Yeah.. One second.." Tsuku kept counting the four hundred dollars, even as she was told it was her turn. Tsuku's habit of counting everything two or three times nearly held the game up as much as Susanoo needing the rules explained to her. She eventually did come around to rolling the dice though, and mirroring Amaterasu, landed on Chance. But the chance cards were nowhere to be seen. Had they gotten knocked clear off the table or something? Tsuku looked around, ears twitching at a nibling sound, as she found the culprit. "Heng'e! Don't eat the chance cards!" Tsuku floated over to her rabbit, which had somehow managed to sneak the chance cards away from underneath the noses of three goddesses. Perhaps during the confusion of the hug? It had begun gnawing through them with astonishing speed. Picking up the bunny to try and save as many cards as she could, she couldn't stop Heng'e from eating one last card in her mouth.

"Alright then Ama-chan, just this once. I gift the kingdom of Boardwalk to you to apologize for razing the land of Park Place!" Susanoo passed Amaterasu $40 dollars with a smile, unfazed by her use of hard light to replace the board she destroyed. Tsuku counted her $400 several times, not noticing Heng'e sneaking off with several chance cards until it was too late. Susanoo began to laugh uproariously, nearly in tears even though it wasn't nearly that funny. "Plucking chance from the mouth of a rabbit! Truly an apt metaphor for life!" Susanoo slammed a hand on the table while laughing, the dice bouncing up and down from the sheer force. One dice read four while the other read three. Susanoo was too busy laughing to notice that she technically just rolled the dice, leaving one of her sisters to move for her.

Amaterasu sighed as she moved Susanoo's top hat to the Income Tax space, making Susanoo passing go on the way. "Su-chan gets two hundred dollars, but she must pay two hundred for the income tax." There went that money for Susanoo, but that was besides the point, it was Amaterasu's turn now. A roll of the dice landed Amaterasu on... "Connecticut Avenue. What is Connecticut...?" She asked the other two sisters, wondering what the word meant or where it was. She never heard of this 'Conneticut' in the Nexus, but maybe the other two sisters knew something.

"Well. It is.. clearly.. Um.." Tsuku started confident, before quickly becoming less confident. She liked to read, but, apparently this particular factoid hadn't been in any of her books. She looked at Heng'e, the rabbit grumpily staring back, neither liking having been picked up or deprived of paper to nibble. "It is clearly.. A place." Correct, if accidentally, but one didn't get much credit for using that broad of a wildcard. "In.. Um.. Hell? I think?" Tsuku continued guessing.

Susanoo stopped laughing as she dug through her memory of a place called Connecticut. "Well Ama-chan, Connecticut is..." She frowned as she put down the whiskey for just a moment. She lightly hummed to herself as she recounted her many adventures and battles, none of them had taken place in "Connecticut." Tsuku guessed Hell and Susanoo's alcohol addled mind filled in the blanks for her. "Ah yes! Thank you for the reminder Tsuku-chan! Connecticut is indeed a desolate land, filled with horrible monsters and ravenous man eating plants! Truly a dangerous battlefield."

Amaterasu shrugged. "Connecticut seems like a place where people just exist and do nothing." The wolfy girl's ears perked up as she looked over at a tea kettle on the stove, steam erupting from the pipe. "Tea. I'll go get it." Amaterasu's tails brushed against Tsukuyomi's side as she stood up, walking into the kitchen and preparing the tea for the trio of girls, making sure to add in some whiskey for Susanoo. She would pitch a fit if it didn't have that.

Tsuku's gaze switched between Susanoo and Amaterasu, bringing up Heng'e to cover her mouth as she wondered who to agree with. She just wasn't sure.. But wait! Susanoo had described the place, but Amaterasu had described how it seems. How a thing seems and what it is can be different. Thus, no contradiction! Yay! Lowering Heng'e and letting her go, the rabbit hopped off to some dark desolate corner of the apartment. "Ah, you've got the Tea? Oh, my cakes, I wonder if they're.." Tsuku scootched in alongside Amaterasu, to lean over and gaze inside the oven with squinted eyes to try and see through the tinted window. "I don't think the cakes will be ready for a while yet.. Shoot, my timing's off."

Susanoo grinned cheekily, taking another swig of her whiskey. She sighed with contentment and wiped her mouth clean with her sleeve right when Ama got up to get the tea. "No tea is needed for me, I have plenty to drink!' She raised her whiskey bottle high into the air, only for her grin to melt away as she shook the bottle a little. Empty. "On second thought, I'll have some tea!" Tsuku set down Heng'e and walked away, leaving the rabbit alone to bounce away somewhere else. Susanoo's eyes focused on her as she got onto her knees and hands, slowly crawling towards Heng'e. "C'mon little one, I want to cuddle!" The last word was yelled as Susanoo leaped towards Heng'e, the rabbit jumping away at the last second leaving Susanoo to dive straight into a dresser. "Owee. Heng'e, you're so mean to me..." She trailed off as she passed out on the floor snoring as the alcohol finally caught up to her.

"I'll place Su-chan's drink in the fridge," Amaterasu stated as she placed the whiskey tea in the door of the fridge, closing it shortly after. She did so only because she heard the thud of her wardrobe as Susanoo ran into it. There was probably another crack in it, too. "I think that ends our game night, Tsuku-chan." Amaterasu placed the two cups of tea to the side as she went back into the living room, cleaning up the board game. "Please go see if Heng'e is alright. I know how much you like her."

"Ah... I like to think Heng'e would be alright even if Susanoo caught her.. But.. I'm worried about whether Susanoo likes her or.. would find Heng'e delicious." Tsuku between the three of them was the only "prey" animal, compared to Susanoo's snake and Amaterasu's wolf, and sometimes she worried about that. But well, bunnies worried about everything. But after a glance with her bunny that seemed to know how to avoid trouble better than Tsuku herself, Tsuku took a seat to wait for her tea, and for the cakes to be done. "Thank you so much for the taking care of us, Ammy. I know we're a handful.

"It's not a problem, Tsuku-chan." Amaterasu brought Tsukuyomi a small cup of tea as she placed another cup beside it, both being angled towards the television in the room. "I'll be back in a minute," Amaterasu said as she left the room, walking over to the fainted Susanoo and lifting her up off the ground and placing her in the bottom bunk of the triple-stacked bunk beds. Heng'e hopped over to Amaterasu afterwards, allowing herself to be lifted by the large wolfy girl. The two made their way back into the living room, sitting down on the futon and turning on the television. It was a sappy TV show, about this one purple kid who ate everything, but it seemed to be entertaining to Amaterasu, so she sat there and watched it, sipping tea and petting Heng'e.

"Mm... Sometimes, I think Heng'e likes you more than me." Tsuku glanced over at the ease with which Amaterasu attracted animals, including the otherwise skitish and skulky Heng'e. Taking a sip her tea, Tsuku wasn't really interested in what was on the TV. But she was happy to sit by Amaterasu, as long as Amaterasu would have her. Setting her tea aside, Tsuku laid down beside Amaterasu, resting her head on Amaterasu's leg, just shy of putting her head in Amaterasu's lap. An ear flopped over onto Heng'e. Nominally watching the TV, but mostly just savoring the warmth.

So the rumours were true. Hell's government had never been the most stable. Unlike the other two factions no one demon possessed any real inherent right to rule, not that other demons would have respected such a right. As such the leader was whoever managed to force themselves into that position, whether through cunning or brute force. But in all of Hell's rich and colourful history, never had there been such a thing as a... council? An aristocracy, formed of the most powerful demons within Hell banding together. Such a group would not be overthrown by any other demon seeking power, giving it a stability that the previous monarchs had lacked. The only real risk to that stability, as always, was the members of the oligarchy turning on one another. It was an interesting turn. A broken pattern, in a world drowning in patterns. Since his escape Khaine had considered his options, and realised that he could achieve little on his own. If he had to throw his lot in with one of these groups, then perhaps the most chaotic would be best.

A flickering red portal formed amid the burning pits of Hell. Khaine emerged into the halls of the 'palace', inhabited now by Hell's new leaders. Looking around, he swiftly made his way to the throne room. Even as he marched he considered whether he was about to get himself horrendously murdered. He had once served Hell, and he had betrayed them for his own goals. Of course his former master was long gone, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be killed for the betrayal. Hell certainly needed warriors now, but logic was rarely the driving force behind the actions of demons like the Black Goat. Certainly this choice was risky, but it would be worth it if he managed to be accepted. Serving in Hell's armies, he might be able to accomplish some of his actual goals.

So, with his doubts quelled for the moment, Khaine opened the doors leading to Hell's throne room. Stepping in, the metallic giant looked around. He did not kneel, but rather, spoke while standing. "I come to offer my services." Hopefully, this could go down a bit more pleasantly than his last interaction with Hell. After all, he had no intention of being put back in the Oblivion Dungeon.

@KoL



Well that had been...exciting. That was the first fully grown dragon he had taken on with anything less than a full battalion at his back. Doing it with only one other person was usually a good way to turn into a snack. Of course when that other person was the Imperator's own Herald the equation changed a little. Not that killing a dragon gave him much protection from his idiotic decisions.

Command wasn't very happy with him at the moment. The General hadn't gotten involved but Colonel McLoughlin certainly had. The dressing down that had awaited Saef on his return to the barracks had been unpleasant to say the least. Apparently there was some talk of putting him back in charge of small teams again. It was just talk for now and wasn't even an official demotion but he still needs to be careful all the same.

Aside from that the mission had been an unqualified success from the standpoint of his superiors. The battle had been won with a minimum of casualties and both the troops and equipment had stood up extremely well in the face of one of Hell's superior commanders. The weird readings that had caused the company to pull back turned out to just be the software dealing with the minor bending of reality the inclusion of holy magic had introduced.

All in all it could have been much worse. In an attempt to keep it that way Saef had gotten out of there after taking care of his company. Out of sight out of mind and all that. Plus that Librarian had said some interesting stuff. The Thaumaturge in him was itching for some answers. So here he was, once again standing in the mostly deserted Celestial Library.

"Librarian?" He called out softly. He had yet to hear of a person with that title who appreciated loud noises within their domain. He wasn't sure how to find her though. The building was as large as the store of knowledge held within. Plus, she seemed like one of those spooky types who always knew when someone said their name.

---

"Huh?" Suparna stole her gaze away from a brawl spilling forth from one tavern, warriors in varying states of armored dress as fists flew with a ferocity she'd expect from bloodthirsty demons, to follow Diana's lead towards a central yet atypical structure. It was stark in it's relief against the compact structures. The denizens did not shy away from it yet there was a care to keep even the rowdiest of warriors to clench their weapons with a degree less recklessness. The carved idols were of immaculate artistry from the soft features of the goddess to the ruffles of her rococo dress, a clockwork eye peering down from each as though watching over those who passed between them.

"It certainly looks....official." Suparna gulped uncertainly, hastily looking back to the increasingly distant brawl before drawing herself back to the building Diana was pulling them towards. "Though maybe we might be intruding. We could always go ask some passing locals or- Or just drag us inside."

Her complaints were raised too late to avoid entry and when she did she almost immediately bit her tongue at how loud her voice became. What was a steady thrum outside with no refrain gave way to a void the moment they passed the threshold, the polished obsidian seeming to drink in the noise as readily as the light of candles set upon the expanse before them. It struck her as the most peculiar thing in a land of vicious warfare, to be confronted by a row upon row of desks with robbed figures seated behind them.

Everything about it struck her with a disconcerting sense of wrongness; Scribes among barbarians. The scratching of quills upon vellum in a concert of thousands yet all she saw was scarcely two dozen. She peered upwards and forwards yet even the maggot collective could not discern a ceiling or far wall against the peerless umbra as though it strained no further then her reach just as it went out to eternity-

"May I help you?"

A whisper drew her from the yawning madness and Suparna jerked forward to find a reception desk where she was certain there was none before, and towards the speaker whom sat in serene repose with her hands folded before her, a faint smirk visible beneath her cowl at the madness gnawing at Suparna's nerves.

"I do not recall recording the songs of a demon in the company of a dragon. Are you perhaps first time arrivals to our jurisdiction?" The attendant began softly, the halo floating atop her head bobbing as she motioned to the Diana and Suparna. "Most who do so usually come in the presence of a senior, but this is not untenable. It is my privilege to offer my aid to those in Marianne's blessed domain should they seek it, so please ask should you find your ignorance insurmountable."

"La de doo.. Ha ha.. Hmm.. Doop de dee.." Alexi sung to herself as she played an improptu game of hopscotch, or perhaps "the blood is lava". She little jumps and skips threaded the needle between sheets of frozen blood, soon to be covered be fresh snow. Her blade outstretched like some mere balancing tool, its edge was clean. Alexi had either cleaned it and herself fastidiously, or she had not taken part in the battle she now danced to.

"Mmm... You have an interesting story." She peered over at a corpse of a machina soldier, or the half of it that was left, smashed underneath a smoldering mech. "You'll have to tell us all about it! We love a good story. And I love to hear them with a warm fire crackling! Though don't be alarmed if we turn away. That's just me warming our nose!" Alexi hopped up onto the mech, resting her back close to the remains of the ammunition fire within it. She listed with rapt attention.

"What, really? Amazing! We would have never expected the bananas!" She clapped for the deceased, as the story apparently concluded. "I'm sure the nice lady will love your story just like we did. She'll probably reforge you to make a sequel. No way she'd let a mighty warrior like you go to waste! Have fun with the rest of your rest, don't hurry back too soon."

@Awesomoman64

The Inquisitor didn't stay in Hyperion long after he had respawned. He didn't even report to Eos in person. Instead he made a beeline to the nearest shuttle and flew to the farthest point he could; the frozen Northern border.

Trudging through the bloody snow, Wolf looked upon the war torn landscape and wondered, perhaps this is where he should have been. Not fighting among the Nexuses greatest, but with the grunts and fodder who use their lives to hold meaningless borders. After all, isn’t that all his efforts amounted too last battle?

In truth, Wolf was beginning to question his worth as a soldier in general. Here he was the product of hundreds of years of research and technology, a supposed perfect combination of man and machine, and yet after two missions he had accomplished nothing. He didn't even have a kill to his name. Maybe The Inquisition was wrong to think he was ready for this. Maybe he shouldn't have even… Wait what the hell? Was that Alexi?

Wolf's train of thought was suddenly halted when he picked up the essence of the Knight of Winter. Curious as to why she was out here, he followed her essence to find the mage playing some sort of schoolyard game and talking to the remains of the fallen.

“What in the name of Eos are you doing out here?” Wolf shouted as he approached the young Knight. “This is one of the most active war zones in the Nexus! This is no place for...Oh forget it. Like I'm in any position to judge your skill.”

Dropping his stoic posture Wolf slouched forward before taking a seat on what used to be the arm of a mech. “So what are you doing out here?” He asked with genuine curiosity. “There are plenty of souls in Hyperion to talk to. I'm sure you'd much prefer them to those departed.”

@The 42nd Gecko

"Oho? Is it true that you didn't found a single tiger in this whole jungle?" A smug voice that could belong to no one other than Hohenheim said from behind a boulder in the same hot spring that Titanica and Zyata were sharing. "That's quite an ordeal when this place is crawling with them overgrown pussies."

With a snap of her fingers, the Alchemist of Genesis transmuted the boulder into a parasol and a coconut, revealing her bare glory before the duo. While most of Hohenheim's smallish frame was soaked under the scalding water, her top half covered by nothing but her own golden locks, just as a piece of art portraying a Venus of yore. Knowing Hohenheim, such semblance was entirely intentional. The part of her back that was out of the pool's border rested against the belly of a beast that could only be described as the unnatural fusion of a tiger, a buffalo, and a harpy eagle. Obviously, a chimera of Hohenheim's own making.

"Please, don't let me bother the two of you. I just came here because I heard some news regarding you," Hohenheim pointed her coconut at Titanica, before taking another sip of it. "They say that you have... lost your way, right? I came here to see whether it was true or not. After all, what can be a better experiment than observing how one of us fare when she has no objectives in her existence? I mean, you have lost it, haven't you, Atomica, erm... I mean, Titanica?" she added while swirling her drink, seemingly refilling it with her Alchemical powers.
Meanwhile, in Celestia...

Saef's search for the Librarian would lead him to a rare sight. The sound of her tail bell propagated softly through the Grand Library, leading the way to its center. It was there that the Librarian presided within her 'office'. In fact, it was an ornate, semi-circular desk built on an elevated platform that resembled the appearance of a majestic pipe organ. However, instead of metallic pipes, it harbored many layers of bookshelves, packed with innumerable tomes and magical artifacts of all kinds.

The Librarian properly said was... napping between a tower of books and a magical sextant looking every bit like a defenseless white kitten. Her tranquil breathing and the rhythmic jiggling of her bell seemed to combine into a spell that lured others in the grasp of the Sandman, just like the Librarian herself. Nothing more fitting for a fey such as she.

@KoL



Oh that's adorable.

Ordinarily the Thaumaturge would have been gaping at the artistically piled collection of priceless artefacts and books that filled the space. However he had just walked through half a library of similar things. That and he was somewhat distracted by what he had found at the end of the trail of soft musical jingles. The Librarian was really going for the whole cat motif it seemed.

He made his way through the towering shelves with a quiet and even step. Sure he needed the catgirl awake to answer his questions but it seemed a crime to disturb the fairytale image before him. Pushing an errant book aside with his foot he knelt down next to the girl. Her soft, even breath shifted the small body in a way that made him want to...hug her or something. Maybe ruffle her ears. Was that an OK thing to do with catgirls? Saef wasn't sure.

Carefully he reached a hand out towards Si's head- no, her shoulder and gave it a gentle shake.

"Hey."

"Hey." a stern voice replies shortly after.

Saef can hear another voice behind him almost immediately after finishing that simple word. If he is to look behind him, he'll see a male angel standing by the wall and reading a large brown book. The figure has short white hair with pale-blue eyes while wearing fancy gold and black armor, a set fit for a high rank perhaps, with strips of red ribbon dangling off them. He also has a rather powerful aura surrounding him of pure light, as if he hails from the stars in space, yet his expression is as calm, if not empty, like the blackness of space in between them.

The man's eyes look into his as he closes the book that he is reading, clearing his throat lightly.

"Ah, no worries friend." the Angel replies with a smile, his voice being replace with a calm and friendly tone, "Pardon my previous tone, I didn't mean to come out so harshly."

He takes a quick pause to glance at the figure that's in front of him.

"You look... familiar." the angel says with a subtle hint of curiousness, "Have we met before? It's been awhile since I've planted my boots onto the battlefield... What's your name, friend?"

---

The vassal simply snorted at Zayata's explanation in 'having yet to find a real tiger'. To simply just stumble upon a totem and ultimately receive your power like that is rather... perplexing to her. Regardless Zayata may one day find such a creature... if they haven't already gone extinct since Titanica last began her slumber all those centuries ago. But then the tiger-lady asked who she was. If she was some dinosaur or lizard of some kind, perhaps a totem animal herself. Such a bold question to ask to someone with such a power like her. She remains silent for a bit, contemplating whether she should reveal her identity or not.

Well... what harm can it be towards someone of Zayata's stature?

Yet as she begins to take her first breath into a potentially interesting conversation, a familiar bratty voice can be heard behind the duo from behind the rock. The once tranquil face of relaxation turned into a tension growl almost immediately as Titanica jerked her head behind her. It looks like the little alchemist brat has found the two somehow and is simply just "relaxing" by the pool's edge, while wielding a parasol and a simple coconut from said boulder.

These bitches always find a way to ruin her day... no wonder why she takes long naps at the bottom of the ocean.

With an annoyed sigh, the resting vassal got up from the pool and slowly rose to stand mightily over the frail alchemist like the Goliath overlooking the tiny David. She begins to glare at the other vassal as her nostrils snort out any excess steam and water left in her nose.

"Hohenheim..." growls Titanica annoyedly at the sunbathing blonde, "And just what are YOU doing here?"

Of course, the Alchmeist answers her question swiftly.

"Please, don't let me bother the two of you. I just came here because I heard some news regarding you... They say that you have... lost your way, right? I came here to see whether it was true or not. After all, what can be a better experiment than observing how one of us fare when she has no objectives in her existence? I mean, you have lost it, haven't you, Atomica, erm... I mean, Titanica?"

The Vassal's eyes squint as she exhales a deep breath of hot steam and air. She could've definitely introduced herself to the cat lady just fine without this little brat budging in. However, instead of getting into a raging rampage, she simply stands firmly within the spring.

"And what does my concerns have to do with your... 'little' hypothetical experiments, Lab-Rat?" Titanica replies snarkly back at her.

Alexi immediately perked up, her hunkered pose against the cold straightening, as she located the source of Wolf's voice. Apparently happy and surprised at Wolf's approach. "Ah! You are .. Um... Sorry... They say we've met before, but I'm terrible at remembering swords." But as she finally spotted him, she squinted hard, before finally concluding that she sadly couldn't remember him, despite how he seemed to acknowledge her. "The only sword I'm good at recognizing is ours. We'll never be parted with each other." She patted her unsheathed blade that lay across her lap lovingly, as if stroking a beloved pet, despite how it probably was radiating her heat away. Still, as an ice mage, she probably wasn't in any real danger, even if she still preferred being warm.

"You've met a lot of souls in Hyperion? Let's see.. Hyperion... We definitely remember the cold and bright one.. Then.. There's... Um.. Hmm... The watcher of time was very soul-like, I think it had potential.. Let's be generous and count it as one, shall we?" Alexi tilted her head curiously, before attempting to count on her fingers how many souls she remembered meeting in Hyperion. She holds both her fingers before her, only reaching the count of two, "Do you remember any more?" She looks back up at Wolf, still holding her fingers out.

@Awesomoman64



"Heeee-y, how're you doing? Haven't seen you since that event at your lab. Did my team end up winning?" Zyata's voice awkwardly transitioned from "Hey! You're insulting my skills as a hunter and my totem animal in one go!" to "Hey... You're that insanely powerful person who could probably replace my arms with snakes. I should make small talk." Still, unlike Zyata or Titanica, who had gone into the pool naked out of utilitarianism or exuberance, Hohenheim seemed to be flaunting herself.

~Great, at first everything was just chill, but now Hohenheim has to make everything awkward. Hot springs are for relaxing, not getting wound up!~ Zyata's eyes dragged themselves away from Hohenheim's intentional framing of herself over to Titanica. Titanica, who before had simply seemed imperious now had other connotations now that Zyata's mind was already in the gutter. So she again wrenched her eyes away to stare intently at the water below herself. ~Time to shut up and let the grown ups talk and try not to embarass myself further I guess..~ Zyata submerged herself to all but her nose, as if to hide herself. Sigh, someone had been eavesdropping on her, so she had revealed her secret to not only who she intended, but also Hohenheim.. Who was... Difficult to think about... Zyata felt her mouth getting a bit dry and decided to take a gulp of the water. Probably wasn't sanitary, but meh, her stomach could handle a few germs. Even Debruda germs.

Of course, keeping her mouth shut for any period of time was NOT one of Zyata's skills. She could manage it for short bursts, not unlike holding her breath to get the perfect shot, but in the presence of someone to talk to, she was going to open her big mouth again. Now she rested her arms against the edge of the pool, and laid her head against it, showing her back and not her face, hopefully "Er.. One of us? You two don't exactly look like siblings. Though, I suppose I don't look much like mine either anymore." At the word siblings, she was stealing a glance over her shoulder at their respective sizes. They were pretty much each a paragon of a completely type of woman.

@KoL@Lmpkio





"Well.. This was fun for a little while, just exulting in my newfound power.. But now that that's worn off, fuck, this is boring." Miyu finally stopped her dash across the world. She'd crossed quite a distance, but the world seemed exactly the same. Well, not exactly, there wasn't Lillian or that girl or Ananta around, who all seemed nice. And the buildings were different. But still filled with cats. "I suppose I'd just ask. Hey, anyone, is this universe and the dominion of cats infinite or near enough?" After receiving an answer to the affirmative from a 40 meter tall fish serving fish to cats, she considered her options.

"Eh, that Lillian seemed nice, and the girl that warned me about not ticking off the cats seemed on the level. Guess it's plan find a job and meet back up with Lillian for beach house. Well, I hope we can find jobs that get us that. Maybe at least beach apartment. Or apartment close to a nice public beach. Or, damn, how am I still being pessimistic when my life's on such an upturn? I'm finally out.." On the verge of perhaps some painful introspection, Miyu instead distracts herself with heading back. She didn't need to get all the way there, just close enough she'd be able to sense Lillian once she found a job.

As she began making her way back, she decided to spice things up by stepping off of things that couldn't support her weight, such as signs, windows, and other fragile things, for each leap, using her Mantle on each stepping point just before she landed so her weight was spread across both it and something plenty sturdy enough nearby. "Ok, heee, there's still plenty of fun to be had just experimenting with the limits of these powers." Miyu smiled as she made her way back. "I feel like one of those Wuxia action heroes, stepping on leaves and the tiniest of branches! I wonder if I could step on clouds... Wow, I'm an idiot. I have wings." At which point Miyu simply flew back. And decided she'd find Lillian first anyway.

"Well, my scientific analysis shows the plane is at the very least, very big. So, I'm gonna go with plan find a job to not annoy the cats as that girl said. Say, did you catch her name?" Miyu asked.

"Anyway, we best get looking. Hopefully we'll be able to find something nice. Who knows, maybe this cafe is hiring?" Miyu raised the ticket, to check if there were any now hiring signs on it. She knew her pizza coupons back home always had "now hiring managers" on them, bragging about how much of a family their pizza establishment was (which was certainly why all the managers kept leaving, no doubt).

@TheWindel@Banana



Pink did her best to avoid paying attention to the other people in the room. Most of them seemed to be viable targets as well.. Particularly that Chen had a few flashes of negative emotions she would have been happy to eat. But with a prize like Ruxen in front of her.. Well, that was all the motivation she needed to put her best face forward. “Oh for fuck’s sake, just leave me along you goddamn hippie! Why don’t you go hug a cactus or something barf for brains. I hear it’s the exact same if you actually hugged me,” "But no cactus could be as beautiful and as in need of a hug as you!" Pink pleaded, "Pleaaase, just this once? I won't bother you again.. Unless you want me too. Pleeease please pleease? :3" But before her "this is the last time I'll ask if you give in this once" argument could be responded too, "Whoo!?" Pink exclaimed as her leg was suddenly pulled out from under her, sending her toppling towards Ruxen, arms alright seeking out for a hug, now seeked for something to grab and steady herself. Unless Ruxen dodged, contact between them would be inevitable, Pink clutching ont Ruxen's leg.

If that came to pass, and if Pink could indeed eat the barest slimmer of Ruxen's immeasurable negativity, Pink's eyes would open magnificently wide, literally weeping sparkles, as the junkie hit the ultimate jackpot. "So.. Delicious.." She'd deliriously moan, clutching Ruxen's leg around the knee as tightly as she could. More, more, she absolutely needed more, as much touch as she could get, pressing her head against Ruxen's inner thigh, nuzzling her forehead and cheek against Ruxen. Naturally her ear tips were thus tickling those ever so rarely touched nooks and crannies between the legs. Even this was not enough, as Pink would then begin licking her way upwards, seemingly oblivious of where this would eventually take her. Of course, again, such events would only take place presuming Ruxen didn't simple dodge the falling Pink and let her smash against the ground.

@Floodtalon

---

Hell's dungeons sprawl for what may seem to be like an eternity the farther down one goes. Of course, the deeper you go, the more bizarre the circumstances and prisons you find. Most of these prisons keep some rather unusual holding pens to keep their prisoners in check... and some don't even contain the hot smoldering ash that the upper levels are used to. Marie walks down a smooth sloping flight of stairs as she enters a door into one of these unusual hallways. The room she enters has a completely alien atmosphere compared to the rest of the dungeon, having an unusually blue hue to it alongside blue brick and white marble. Glass windows can be seen containing water as the bounty hunter walks down the aquarium-esque hallway with her heels making a clattering sound per step along with the echoing of dripping water from a leaky ceiling. The cases hold a large body of water, containing fish and other unusual aquatic life from within, some serving as holding chambers for aquatic prisoners... from mermaids, to mermen, to even some devilishly freaking fish-people. Despite the unusual eerie atmosphere within the confines of Hell, it was overall a rather calm and strangely sincere location to be in...

Of course, Marie wasn't here just to look at fish. At the end of the hall she finds a solid steel door, blocking any access into whatever lies beyond its thick hide. Only after standing still and receiving a body scan does it allow the bounty hunter into the room. The room was dimly lit compared to the bright hallway, yet still sports much of the glass case features. In the middle of the room, lies a medium-sized tank filled with crystal-blue water and at the back-most wall of the tank was a certain little harpy chained to a large plank that was just low enough for her talons to dangle in the water. Marie halts her approach as she produces a sultry smile towards Eve. She simply chuckles at the harpy before removing her red coat, revealing a scarlet red bikini with faint-orange stripes covering a rather busty and fit figure.

"Salutations, my little feathered friend." greets the bounty hunter with a mocking tone as she approaches the back of the tank, "Are you ready for a nice refreshing swim?"

Eve spat towards Marie, the ball of spit gloshing onto the ground a few mere inches from the bounty hunter. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a very punchable face?" joked Eve as she struggled around in the chains, desperately trying to free herself from what was going to happen. Alas, even if she busted free, her wings were clipped before, and she couldn't fly. She's definitely not going to mention that to anyone in Heaven once this is all over... should it end soon, anyway. Eve stared forward with a snarky grin, waiting for the next moment to comment on Marie's appearance or actions. If anything, it at least made Eve feel better.

"Ohhh, many have indeed." Marie replies as she walks up the stairs and finds herself beside the plank Eve was tied onto, "In fact, many have called me much worse. 'Flobbering Dipshit', 'Lady Bitch Face', 'Smutty Whore', I've been named quite a lot."

She then places her hand behind the plank as she moves her head besides the harpy's.

"And you know what happens to them?" the bounty hunter then asks Eve, yet before she can allow her to answer she pushes the plank down as it quickly submerges the bird's entire body into the water. Being tied up to a plank with nowhere else to go, the harpy would find herself beginning to drown, thrashing and gasping for a whisp of air. Of course, just before the harpy may accept the face of death, the plank slowly begins to ascend from the tank and right back to where it was prior. Marie could only lick her lips as she chuckles masochistically at her suffering.

"Oooh, how I just love the sweet look of tortured souls just before the main course." the scarlet woman responds while clamping her right hand in between the Harpy's cheeks, "You're gonna be a fine lil' birdie for me to eat you alllllll up."

She would go in for a deep kiss that lasts a few seconds before she releases, while slightly yanking at her face while retreating.

Eve's face held an expression of shock, her many emotions being very conflicting at this moment. It ultimately resulted in another glob of spit in Marie's face as the harpy spoke again. "W-why are you being... well... not brutal so far...?" Eve was more or less used to situations like this being incredibly painful and incredibly bloody, but Marie was taking her time. It was appreciated, as bad as that sounded, but even behind a smug facade Eve's body quivered in fear. This wasn't going to be fun.

Indeed... as the bounty hunter simply wipes away the spit from her face and smothers it all over the harpy's face. Once she finishes, she looks down at her with a devilish grin...

"We haven't even finished the appetizer." she responds just before the clasps on the plank open, sending the the bird splashing down into the water. Swim as she may try, the water levels within the tank began to lower slightly, enough so that any potential escape via climbing out will be impossible to achieve. The Scarlet Lady chuckles to herself as she dives into the tank herself and feast upon the helpless harpy...

"D'aw fuck. Sorry about leavin' ya there." Lillian's mech landed besides Miyu as Lillian grabbed some stuff out of it, a slight smile on her face as she did so. "Alchemy shit got my attention." A small wooden table appeared beside the two mech drivers, along with some markers and paper as Lillian began to hatch her master plan to do something to get some sort of cash for the city. While she imagined that a lot of her talents weren't incredibly useful, alchemy had limitless possibilities in the right hands. Maybe something she could concoct would sell well and contribute to her and Miyu's success?

"Ay, Miyu, any ideas on what I could try'n sell?"

---

"Why are you two talking about souls?" Bonesword approached the two other fighters as Charlie tailed behind him, not doing much aside from keeping alert and making sure nobody tried to kill his master. The skeleton man had clearly gotten into a scuffle, as he was currently carrying a demon head in one hand and a bloody Shroomblade in the other, but for the most part, he looked rather normal for his standards. "Talking about souls doesn't cause any good to come your way. I know that better than most."

"What, you ask?" Hohenheim said while twirling her drink some more, seemingly unfazed by Titanica's imposing display. After all, it was normal of animals to try to appear bigger when they felt threatened. Not that Hohenheim had any treacherous intention in mind but, someone with muscle tissue in place of a brain certainly couldn't get it, right? "Well, can I, the Alchemist of Genesis, not rest for a bit without having second intentions? I did not expect you to greet me with such a sight," Hohenheim cast a look from Titanica's head to her toes, "but I'll take whatever I can. You know me: there's no experiment too unethical no road too dangerous that I wouldn't cross for the sake of knowledge."

"Now, if you aren't offering yourself for a ride, why don't you do like the kitten over there and soak these hormones of yours?" Hohenheim added with her characteristic smugness, before concluding, "As for your 'concerns', I actually have little interest in them. If you really desire to know. Yet, the very fact that your nature is so unpredictable makes you worthy of observing. Just like microwave popcorn: no two packs are ever the same."

"Now then," she addressed the bashful cat, "Now that you commented on the Angels. They did well. One could almost say that the stars favored them. In fact, my reward for them should be arriving at their leader's lap at any moment. I can only imagine that she will find it quite pleasing. Regarding your second question, let's just say that there's more between Heaven and Hell than a bunch of bolt buckets. I and Miss Curvy Lizard are related in a certain way. However, the whole lecture would likely be well beyond your cognitive faculties. It's best to save you from a migraine." Hohenheim replied to Zyata's questions before turning her gaze back at Titanica, waiting for the lizard's reply.

---

---

"Mhmm~" At first, Saef's nudge was good only to compel the Librarian to toss around her desk, finding a new —more comfortable— position to continue her nap. She was indeed a feline true to her heart, such a simple attempt at rousing her would never succeed. Maybe if he had food with him, things would fare differently. Or, maybe it wouldn't be needed at all...

As soon as a second voice joined Saef in a conversation, the feline fairy's ear perked up ever so slightly. However, she deemed the newest arrival to not be any source of trouble for the time being and simply tossed around again, feigning to unconsciously reach for Saef's hand. It wasn't within the Librarian's nature to simply forfeit the chance to get any free treats. She just needed to get Saef to understand the message while using her inherent deception skills. "Mhmm~" She let out another purr.

---

---

"If you are asking whether we are new here or not, I'd say the answer is yeah, Miss," Diana replied to the sinister looking clerk without so much as a hint of apprehension. In fact, she smiled widely —perhaps a bit too earnestly, to say the trust— as she continued to say, "Don't they say that ignorance is a bliss? But, if it's an insurmountable bliss... would it be like, hmm... eating a year's worth of desserts all at once? That certainly feels like something that's so good that it becomes bad, I think," Diana digressed, slipping right through some weird tangent.

A moment later, she snapped back to reality, laughing tersely. "Ahem, anyway," Diana corrected her posture before continuing, "the two of us are here on an adventure... I guess? That's certainly what it looks like to me. We came looking for a place to train for a bit. I think this land is cool enough for us to do our thing. So... is there any adventure to be had around here?"

@KoL@Lmpkio



How he had missed the tall angel Saef had no clue. Judging from his aura the winged man was immensely powerful, perhaps as high as an Archangel. He didn't seem that bad a guy though. The stern tone softening after the initial spoken word.

"Captain Saef Harken of the First Heavenly Mechanized. I was involved in the recent battle in the Graveyard. Pleasure to meet you sir..."

The Thaumaturge trailed off his reply in obvious question as he remained kneeling next to the distractingly adorable keeper of the building they were in. Just then her hand found his and he couldn't help but smile down at her. Judging from the change in her breathing rhythm and all the shifting she was doing, the young looking woman wasn't quite as asleep as she appeared.

Hmmm, how did my assistants used to wake me up when I was being lazy. Either something I would really dislike or really like. So carrot or the stick. And since I want to get along with her...

His smile turned slightly mischievous as his unoccupied hand started twirling out a small spell.