The frame of the velvet-lined chair creaked slightly as Rath leaned back, his feet resting on the edge of his desk as he read over some documents. It was one of the more tedious parts of being a high-class devil but it had to be done. A disorganized and uninformed household just wasn't acceptable under his leadership. It was simply terrifying imagining all of the paperwork Alice was forced to deal with. Her brother better suck up to her big time for putting this burden on her especially when she had yet to claim all of her pieces.

A streak of sunlight cut in through the curtains, another reminder that it was the start of another day. He laid the stack of papers down on the desk towards the middle, before stretching his arms out and removing his legs from the desk to sit in a normal position. With Alice's attention split between two points, He would need to keep an extra eye out for threats. A stray devil had already decided to move in, perhaps an omen, but Alice and her household would be more than capable. What he feared was that this stray devil was only the first of many dangers that are going to try and capitalize on the weakened defenses of this territory.

For that reason, Rath was actively searching for suitable candidates to complete his set of evil pieces. His right elbow rested on the desk as he laid his head onto his hand, the opposite one picking up one of his bishop pieces and twirling it between his fingers in an agitated fashion. There was talk of even some Devil Houses that wanted to take advantage of the disappearance of the two love birds, a rumor that Rath managed to catch while back at a party hosted by his family. The very thought pissed him off. He and Alice were destined to be rivals until the end of time and he wouldn't let a single soul interfere with that.

Pan sauntered into the room eyeing their master as they took in all his aggravation. His muscles were tense, bulging even, or so it seemed to be that way for Pan. As they finally made their way across the room Pan sat down on the corner of Raths desk, crossing their legs and twirling a tuft of hair between their fingers. "You look so cute when you're upset. They say you furrow your brow and basically exude manliness...its to die for. Tell me my King, what has you so worked up today? What can I do to relieve your...tension." Pans voice was the epitome of genderfluid. Stuck between the sounds of both genders making it impossible for one to identify their gender from mere sound. Pan slowly slid off of Raths desk making their way to the window and looking out"I hear we have a stray on our hands. How do we plan to handle it?"

Alison Twiddle
As her lord sat across from the young King of an proto rival House, The young girl flicks through her phone, gauging her own and her King's stocks closely. Her eyes vigilant even though the information is only seen at a glance when she stops. Something interesting has caught her eye. Promptly she leans closer to her King and taps on his shoulder for his attention.
"My lord, there is something you must see." She raises the phone in her hand so that both have a clear visual view of the display, showing a slight dip in a particular stock. "The stock for Cadwell Confections are dropping. Shall I sell their stock before the price becomes too low?"

She awaits her Master's order. Her primary interest is the success of her House. She knows more than any other that money is the only thing that these pathetic mortals will listen to. Even Fallen Ones and Devils are not immune to its' allure. Her task is to accrue as much as she can muster for herself and her Master. Of course, his stock takes priority over her own and has more than once needing to borrow from said Master again, needing to rebuild her wealth from the ground up. Her lord? He shall never come below at least a year's worth of living money.

She then looks up and her face contorts a bit in disgust. Pan... That over sexual harlot. Always wanting her master to put out for this creature every time "it" shows up. She watches as the thing flirts with her Master.
"Pan, back off please? The Master has a very important decision to make regarding his financial growth. Please be a dear and back of... Now..."

She watches as this thing pushes off the desk and a cold mist shoots out of her nose. Pan has always gotten on her nerves, Ever since she was accepted, these two never truly got along. Like cats and dogs they fought and the still do even now.

"Word is pretty little Alice is all set to take care of that pest of a stray." Claire purred as she shimmered into view behind Pan. She trailed one finger across their shoulders before taking her position behind Rath. She eyed Alison for a second before deciding to leave the issue for the moment. The tension might become a problem later, but if it did she would just have to dig her claws in a little harder. "I saw that posh queen of hers send out his raven earlier before he headed out. I suspect while they're handling that, her bit of London will be completely defenseless. The question is do we stay here and lurk nearby, waiting to show them up, or do we take a little trip to keep an eye on things for her there? It would be such a shame if that girl lost face because she got in over her head."

Reaching down to press a finger against the Bishop in Rath's hand, she continued, "Don't worry about this little problem. That brat in Alice's household has an eye for the good catches, but I'll find you something worth your while soon enough." The way she said the word 'brat' carried no venom, but rather brought a gleam to her eye. The boy was a challenging opponent on this board, even if he had more room to hunt than she did.

Rath's piercing blue-gray eyes looked up from the piece in his hands to Pan, one of his knights. Flirting was almost an unspoken competition in his household, though not everyone liked to participate. A shallow grin showed up briefly on his lips "I see you got your beauty sleep and then some." It was minor compared to what he could have said, the last thing he wanted was a contest this early in the morning. It wasn't long before the other members of his household began to pop in, stopping him from responding to Pan's question.

Alison, his other knight and the Occult Club's accountant, waltzed in with news of his financial situation. Mentally he sighed anticipating her reaction to Pan's rather risque attitude towards him, the two always seemed to be after each other's throats "Relax Alison." He responded strongly, last thing he needed right now was the two of them to go at it "Sell 75% of the stock, keep 25%. Use 50% of the profits to re-buy some stock when it stabilizes and use the other 50% to invest in more stable stocks." Rath immediately said after a brief pause. Since he liked to partake in some human indulgences such as video-games from time to time, having some extra funds was always a benefit. However this didn't serve to soothe his current agitation.

At last his queen arrived on scene, carrying herself in the manner he knew well. She confirmed his suspicions about Alice's course of action, Rath could always count on Clairmont to get what he needed. Rath set the bishop piece down after Clairemont assured him potential candidates were being sought "I'm look forward to seeing what you manage to catch." Now that nearly everyone, save his rook, was here he decided to loosen up "We'll leave the stray to Alice, even if I wouldn't mind stepping on her toes just a little. I heard London is simply romantic at night." A sly smile creased his lips "Besides, she'll owe me one if something turns up while they are distracted."

"Yes, say what you will but that 'posh queen' is one deliciousbite." Pan said biting the air. They turned to face Claire, pressing their back against the window as the warmth began to seep into Pan from the morning rays. Concern riddled Pans face as they watched Claire practically toy with Rath. Her words came out sweet but Pan had to wonder how true the tone was. Damn, I was going to stand back there. Maybe massage his muscles deep into the tissue." Pan shook their head realizing there was no time for such thoughts. "I could send my familiar to them with a missive? Or just deliver a message myself to see if they would require our aid in either London or with the stray. But I have to wonder, how would that appear to those outside? Will they view her as weak for needing aid on such matters?"

With that they made their way across the room, lifting themselves off the glass and slowly walking placing one foot perfectly in front of the other like a gymnast walking on bars. Once Pan reached the desk they prepped themselves against the edge and laid back sprawling across the desk without hitting any papers. "What's the matter Rath? I'm not good enough for you?" their voice was a low whimper as they picked up the Bishop that was just laid down, inspecting it. "I've got beauty, grace, and I can slice them in their face. What more do you need?" pan crossed their legs in a dainty fashion as they placed the bishop back down. Letting out a soft sigh as they turned away from Rath to face Alison, sticking their tongue out at her, taunting her for Raths decision to back up Pan.

Alison Twiddle

The knight nods quickly and swiftly follows her Master's orders, "Yes my Lord, wise as always." Al slight smile cuts across her lips as she drops most of the stock and reinvests it into more lucrative stock. This was her life, Giving to her lord what he wanted. She is about to ask him about another stock that caught her eye when she stops, seeing his pensive expression. She knows it all too well. His desire for companionship with "Video Games". She had tried them once upon his request before, even once gluing the controller to her hands to play with him, but she knew that she was inadequate for his needs and then steps back a little and invests the stock for him.

"I have place the stock into the Bronze Foxes Gamer's Guild Inc. Merciful Luna, that is a mouthful." She looks up from her phone to see her better walk in, the queen. "H-hello M-Mistress... A beautiful day it is." Alison quickly bows to her Mistress as was expected of her in her presence. A higher rank is something this knight always aspired to be, but in this state, there is no way for her to get the title she wants. And why shouldn't take a long time after all she...

She contorts her face again when that thing lays herself across her Master's desk. This was too much now. This was the straw! She pushes the horny creature off the desk forcefully. "The Master doesn't need this this morning you harlot! If you wish to be a whore, then go and fraternize with a football locker room! I am sick and tired of your inconsiderate and lewd behavior! Remove yourself from this room at once and let the Master retain a peaceful morning!"

"Alison." Claire commanded, her voice sharp. Speaking again, she softened her voice, sounding more like a mother soothing an angry child, "We're all family here. We must forgive each other our... quirks." Moving her gaze to Pan, she made a small shooing motion with her hand. "That said dear, you need to find somewhere better to lie down. Playtime is all well and good, but we mustn't let it interfere with work that needs to be done. I promise you can get all the attention you need when things settle down."

"I've heard some whispers around the church recently." She said, turning back to business. "I couldn't get close enough to hear specifics, but there's been talk of unrest in the ranks. Nothing overt mind you, but I've seen certain priests meeting with some of the Fallen after dark."

Alisaie stepped out of the gym’s shower and stretched before dying off and slipping into a comfortable outfit. Tying her still damp hair back, she made a beeline for the campus’s Starbucks. Her run this morning with Anaja was peaceful, minus the vomit they found staining the path, and she definitely needed her morning fix. Three espresso in a grande veranda, the perfect morning kick to the face, and a protein box. Nice, simple, and aggressively bitter like her soul. She made a beeline for the club after.

“What’s up bitches?” Alisaie shouted as she slammed open the door, sipping from her coffee. She paused a moment, gauging the room. Since first being brought back as a devil a month and a half ago, she’d learned showing up later than the rest would save her some sanity. “Y’all done with your morning flirtations or should I stand outside awkwardly eating for another half hour?” Not bothering to wait for a response since they were never done, she slammed the door closed and flopped onto a couch and started eating.

As Alison began to shove Pan, they quickly utilized their enhanced speed as well as their gift with ballet to gracefully remove themselves from the situation. Pushing off with one foot, Pan slid backwards off the desk, landing onto one hand and gracefully pivoting on it as they brought their legs down in a singular fluid motion. Once one was safetly planted on the ground Pan performed a pirouette into a soubresant that ended with a relevé in fifth. Pan slowly lowered themselves from the position as they click their tongue at Alison. "Ma chère petite fille, vous ne devez pas laisser votre colère vous contrôler." Pan raised an eyebrow at Claire's declaration of the church's ongoing problems and a grin spread across their face. "My my, that sounds quite troublesome Claire. Please tell me we will get to play with at least one of them? Especially if they go stray." the devilish smile continued to be plastered on their face at the mere thought of it. Pan turned to the newest member to join the room "Well of it isnt the life of the party? Did you bring me anything to eat?" they asked with a cheeky smile.

Rath managed to respond quickly to Pan's queries "This will be unofficial help. I'd hate to see my rival fall too far behind. I want a challenge at the rating games after all." The two kings had talked about facing each other in a rating game for awhile now, the perfect competition to see who is the better. An under the table deal would be more beneficial than an open agreement, it was not his intention to undermine Alice. He loved playing loose with the rules but he respected his rival.

He listened only partly to the new company name Alison gave him, some kind of video-game company. Of course he really enjoyed them and he admired Alison's dedication to him, but he was not as obsessed with them as she seemed to believe she did. His attention was quickly grabbed by Pan, who took freedom of expression to her usual degree "For you to get off my desk, if you would." A stiff smile accompanied his reply, voice calm but with an aura of seriousness. It was too late however as Alison decided to take it into her own hands.

Rath simply back as Clairemont addressed both of their attitudes, once again she proved to be a reliable queen "Thank you, Clairemont." It was a relief that he needn't always be addressing this issue all the time "Priests meeting with fallen angels is hardly a good sign, let alone near our territory. See if you can't get any more information." His feeling might not be so wrong after all. Not too long after and right on time, the last member of his household entered.

A small chuckle left him at Alisaie's comment "Your boldness continues to impress me." There were some that would say allowing such vibrant expressions from his pieces was a mistake but what mattered most to Rath were three things: Loyalty, Ambition, and Honesty. People putting up a false appearance just tended to piss him off so here he was, with his rather vibrant cast of characters "Are you feeling left out? I could remedy that in a flash if you'd like." The stress he was previously feeling had begun to lift.

Alison Twiddle
She squeaks when her queens sharp words lashed out at her and Alison bows in respect. "Sorry Mistress... I merely wished to aid the Master. Please forgive me..." She was right, this kind of behavior was not becoming of a woman, let alone a knight of this household. This would have to change.

Her gaze then sets upon her Master as he converses about the priests speaking with Fallen Ones and her lips press together. Even she could see this as a bad omen. She thunks things over in her mind, analyzing the situation. When her Master had suggested finding out more information, Alison had a choice. "Master, if you wish, I may proceed to acquire said information? Or should I remain here by your side to protect you?" Her mind thinks frantically, staying here would be the most prudent of choices since she can cast the best protection spells. However, not knowing what the enemy is up to scares her. Her mind is conflicted.

Then the door bursts open as the final member of the House enters, crass as ever. "Honestly, have you never heard of respect for your Lord and Lady?! How can you be so disrespectful and so brazen?! Have you no shame in your language?!"

“Totally Pan! I got somethin’ with your name all over it!” Alisaie said cheerfully between bites. She beamed and held up her fist. “It's your favorite, a knuckle sandwich! Come here so I can feed you!” She took a bite of her boiled egg and kicked her feet up onto the other couch. She turned her head towards Raith, an eyebrow arched in disbelief. “Thanks but no thanks.” she said dryly, “Got no interest in y’all’s weird ass games. Y’all make everything so complicated. If you want to get down and dirty, just do it. Why do all this?” She waved her hand in everyone’s general direction before groaning at Allison’s reprimand.

“Methinks thou protest too much, brown noser.” Allison said mockingly. “I follow orders when they’re given but I don’t make extra rules for myself. What, should I lick their boots? Polish their armor? I don’t get on your ass, so stay off mine.” Alisaie stuck her tongue out at the Knight. “Anyways, what’s our plan today? I got training I wanna do if we don’t have anything yet.”

"If its information you seek either one of your knights are willing and swift enough to attempt to gather it. Being that the frigid woman was first to offer I'm inclined to let her do so, after all my power is more than enough to keep you safe as it has for the whole year your peerage has existed. Unless you wish for both of us to go?" Pans face lit up as Alisae claimed she brought something for them. Once mentioned it was a knuckle sandwich they began to back up a step with their hands in the air as if to say dont attack. "We seem to be spreading ourselves as thin as your rival. Sentry duty in London in the case its needed, espionage sorts on the priests for information. My we'll scarcely have anyone left to keep you safe my King. As for Alisae's proposition, training is always necessary to ensure our skills are well honed and that we do not get used to slow days without fighting."

Rath took a moment to consider his options on who should be going on recon duty. He knew he could trust both of them to take care of it however he needed an expert's eye on this "Claire will be going." He rose from his chair and rolled his shoulders as he wandered towards the door before stopping to look at his queen "I want confirmation these priests are conspiring with fallen angels. Gather any other information you can before night falls." He gave his orders. The last thing he needed was fallen angels making moves on his chessboard.

He turned to address Pan "Training is precisely what we will be doing. We will be doing mock battles in pairs today. Pan will face Allison and Alisaie will face..." A wicked grin grew on his face "Me" In the year since he started his peerage, Rath had not had to face anyone in close-combat. His magic was usually enough to take care of any trouble-makers. However there was something in the air and Alisaie would have no partner otherwise.

His face grew serious once again "I can't shake a feeling that something major is going to happen that we're going to be sucked up in." It a simple policy he expected each of his pieces to observe and in turn he would do so himself. That simple policy was honesty "Let's head out to the forest to the usual spot. I hope none of you have been slacking in your exercises." A short, menacing laugh escaped his lips.

"Any of you wanna wipe his ass too? Jeez, let the man think for five seconds before y’all throw yourselves at him.” Alisaie said irritably as she finished her food. She tossed the container in the trash a few feet away, grimacing when it bounced off the edge but rolling to her feet and enthusiastically dunking it instead. She perked up at the phrase “Mock Battles.”

“Yes, finally someone that isn't my familiar! You might be a devil Raith but I’ve been doing this for most of my life.” She said cheekily, a confident grin on her face. “If you think you’re gonna take me down easy devil boy, you got another thing coming. Let's get this show on the road people!” She dashed out the door to the forest, adrenaline already pumping. Having someone other than Anaja, though a fantastic sparring partner, would help immensely. She was afraid her skills had been stagnating in the repetition that is fighting the same person repeatedly.

Allison would be their opponent huh? Two knights clashing against each other to determine who would be the victor. Pan would be lying if they said they weren't even remotely interested in a fight. No, wiping that smug look off of the ice queens face would do quite nicely as revenge for her laying a hand on them. A Cheshire smile spread across Pans face ever so slowly as their liege spoke. They held their hand to their side as if to draw a weapon, a green magic circle formed and slid diagonally down revealing a sheathed sword to Pans side. I can scarcely wait. Now we shall all bear witness to how the snow covered mountains bow before a howling wind. with that Pan disappeared in a flash, out the door and heading straight for the forest.

Alison Twiddle

"Master... Why must I train with that... Thing...? It is a repulsive creature with no sense of restraint or decency! Why force me to fight such a vile... eunic!"

Her face is red with embarrassment and fury at the thought of having to square off with an individual who is so whorish they'd be willing to allow anything into their holes. This was a violation of her code of sensibility and cleanliness!

Claire trailed her fingers over Rath's arm as she straightened up. "My my, you all have fun with your roughhousing. I am off to see what kind of juicy gossip I can rummage up at the church." She ended her comment with a sigh, walking back around the desk and toward the door. "You definitely don't give me the easy jobs, my Liege." She said, twisting her last word until it was almost a purr. "Sending a pureblood devil to gather information from the clergy. Why, without my magic, it would almost be impossible." She ended her complaint with a playful wink before dissapearing through the door, leaving only her last words behind.

"I'm kidding, of course,"

Then in words only heard by Rath:

"I'll keep following you until you've reached the end of your potential. I'm far too interested to quit partway through."

Rath cherished the wide array of pieces he had collected. In truth, they would likely never know how much he cared for each of them...all except for Clairemont. She was more like his partner in crime than just a Queen, and yet the most ferocious in showing her loyalty. If he had wanted a harem, he would have had it. If he wanted a board of professional killers, he would have it. Nothing stood in the way of his ambitions. No, He wanted a household with just as much ferocity and ambition as he did...and each had their own ways of expressing it which came as a bonus.

A sharp laugh left him at Alisaie's bold declaration, that was was perhaps a tad too feisty "Oh that's right Alisaie. You have never seen me truly fight, have you?" A playful glare shined in his bold eyes. She was not the only one showing off, as Pan's statement clearly demonstrated. The rivalry between his two knights had been growing too big for its cage, so that is another reason he decided on this kind of training "Alison. Do you doubt my judgement? If this is how you react to Pan, how can I trust you to handle a fight with a true horror?" His voice was stern and authoritative. Rath then turned towards Clairemont with a grin "If I did give you easy jobs, you would only end up bored." The two had gotten to know each other well, perhaps too well as evidenced by her next sentence. He silently scoffed "Then prepare for a long journey." What could possibly be the goal that Rath wished to acheive? Why none other than the highest position in the devil hierarchy: the Devil King himself!

He rose from his seat and followed after the more rash two of his pieces out to a isolated part of the forest, free from observation. A small clearing was the meeting point where he stepped into its center "Now, to ensure we are not disturbed..." A protective dome encased the clearing and a large portion of the forest around it "Here are the conditions for this mock battle. Alison and Pan, your objective is to either disarm your opponent or put yourself in a position where the next strike would be fatal. You may also forfeit at anytime." He said to them. If they got too out of hand, which he expected, he would intervene "As for you, Alisaie....come at me with everything you got. You are my sole rook. I wish to see how long you can last in a fight." He rolled his shoulders and eased into a fighting stance "Now...begin!"