[IC] Highschool DxD: The Devils' Due [ENDED]

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Suzue Yamazaki~

Ah...it was over already, then? Suzue exhaled tiredly. She disliked fighting of any kind - oh, she was fairly good at it to be sure, but it always left her on edge and somewhat jumpy. Not to mention the blood. Eugh, she wished some of the others wouldn't be so...exuberant in their methods of defending the cafe. She supposed what was needed, was needed however. As things calmed down and Delilah congratulated them, the spider smiled softly, the six spider legs retracting as she resumed her human guise. Well, no sense to dwell on it.

"Ha, I need to stretch my legs more..." Suzue commented lightly. She glanced over to Sato and Delilah, clicking her tongue in mild annoyance. "Disposing of them seems so...needless, Delilah." Suzue continued. They couldn't just let them go though, that would be silly. Disobedient children needed to be taught, yes? "Still...I agree with Sato." Suzue said with a soft smile towards the human. "Perhaps you can keep them tied up for the priest? He would know more than we about who they are...though, I would not mind spending some time with them and getting them to talk." Though, it would be more of an unconventional interrogation than the others would be used too.

[Polaris North]

Daithi Akasuki

Daithi looked around and saw that the battle had been won with the capture of two of the cultists. His nose wrinkled at the sight of their cafe, disorganized and bloody. They had two other bodies that they had to dispose of. He could certainly dump them off at the side of some unknown area and that would surely do the trick. He saw Sato look at the mess much like him. However, instead of standing around, Daithi had moved towards one of the toppled tables and then placed it back upright, arranging chairs around it. He would have to leave the sweeping to Sato but Daithi thought that the last he could do was to help him with reorganizing the tables and chairs.

Delilah posed a question for them. Suzue had resumed her human disguise, Kael went on one knee and Sato simply replied that he wouldn't want to clean off more blood. Daithi stopped what he was doing and then smoothed down his uniform and looked towards the webbed captive and then back to his King. "Interrogating them seems to be a good idea. I'm sure the priest doesn't have all the information." He pointed out, placing both his hands behind his back and assuming a rather formal position. His eyes trailed towards the unconscious and heavily injured man of the cloth who had aided them in their battle. Was it a case of 'an enemy of my enemy is my friend'? He was pretty sure he hadn't encountered priests who were friendly to the devils such as them.

"Though, if you do want to dispose of them after..." He started before cracking one of his fingers and looking at the cultist coldly. "I would be more than glad to take care of them." He already had two bodies to dispose of so adding two more wouldn't really matter to him. However, the final verdict still rested on Delilah's shoulder, seeing as she was their boss and King, so he simply went quiet afterwards.

[Shadow Daedalus]

James Ashe-Hartnet

As the cultist at his feet fell still, James couldn't help but click his tongue. He'd hoped to take the man alive, but he was probably a little excessive in the way he'd incapacitated him. He wasn't upset the man had died, he was going to kill the man anyway, but he was planning on interrogating him first. He heard Delilah's question and turned around to face her, waiting on the rest of the peerage before voicing his own opinion.

"I'm with Daithi on this one, for the same reason." The priest was probably their best source of information right now but even then he wouldn't know everything, so what they couldn't get out of him, once he'd woken up of course, they could beat out of the two surviving cultists. He sharply pulled the katana out of where he had planted it in the man's spine before dispelling his Sacred Gear and taking a step back to lean on the adjacent wall, arms crossed in front of his chest.

[PaulHaynek]

@Lord of Evil @Rune_Alchemist @Polaris North @Shadow Daedalus

---

Delilah nodded. "I, too, wish to keep these ne'er-do-wells alive. Well alive for us to know who they are and what they were doing in the cafe. After that, well..."

The King sighed and gave her order. "Suzue, Kael, Asia. You shall ask the priest who he is and other important information. He clearly knew who these... hostiles were. You have my permission to use force should he try to be hostile." Delilah continued. "Sato, Daithi and James. You shall be the ones who shall interrogate our captives. Learn who they are by any means necessary. Should they prove unbreakable... I'll leave the next decision to you."

"As for me, our little skirmish had many witnesses of whom I must fix. I expect results when I return. And a clean cafe."

-------

~@Rune_Alchemist, @Lord of Evil (KEL)~

Asia placed the unconscious priest on the couch in the employee lounge of the cafe. In a few moments, he stirred with consciousness. You were the first people he saw and he was still quite groggy. "You... you people... are Devils..." He muttered as he raised his torso with his hand on his head.

"Hey listen, sorry about your cafe." He started. "I'll uhh, I'll see if I can have the Church pay for any damages that were done. I didn't expect them to panic and do that. That sure escalated things, didn't it? Again, I ask for your forgiveness for the trouble in your cafe." He apologized. "I should also thank you for helping me against them. And... for not killing me."

-------

~@Polaris North, @Shadow Daedalus, @Lord of Evil (STO)~

The captives were placed in the kitchen, tied to a chair with virtually no hope of escaping.

One of them kept quiet while the other wasted no time in spouting drivel. "Release us, Devils! And perhaps our Lord shall grant you a quick death or perhaps even a life in his paradise. But if you do not, know that our Lord does not like to be trifled with and he shall make your pain legendary! Once he comes, he will come for you first and he shall tear your wretched little Underworld to pieces! And he shall--"

"Quiet!" The quiet one finally spoke. "These people shall never see. We've already won. I've seen it with my own eyes."

[Lord of Evil]

Sato looks around the kitchen. There were dishes to clean, in the kitchen as well as in the cafe proper. He had to wipe down the benches, take out the trash, clean the floors, and plenty of times other stuff. But here he was trying to interrogate gibbering psychos.

Sato couldn't help but wonder why he was even here. Surely Suzie would be somewhat better suited to an interrogation. But, the boss had spoken, so he was here. Sato sighed and turned to address his teammates.
"Well, I don't have any clue what these guys are talking about." He said to the two. "Any ideas on how to open them up?"

@Polaris North@Shadow Daedalus

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Suzue Yamazaki~

"Try not to be too harsh on them, alright?" Suzue frowned. She knew some of the tendencies of the others of the peerage were more...sadistically inclined. Oh sure, she liked teasing people every now and then but...well, some children simply couldn't learn until it was too late. The spider sighed, shaking her head and putting on a friendly smile as she was ordered to take care of the priest by Delilah. "Of course, Delilah. I will see to the priest with Kael and Asia."

First thing was first. This was a cafe, and she had a standard of hospitality to set for everyone. Suzue hummed a soft tune as the priest roused to consciousness, quickly moving around the room as she prepared some tea for the priest. It wouldn't be much, but it would hopefully help him relax a little. Or who knows, maybe it'd make him think they were trying to poison him.

"Hmm~" Suzue laughed softly as she worked quickly. "We should be thanking you, sir, for protecting our King from that fireball. Not that a simple fireball would have done her much harm, though." The spider set a teacup on a plate alongside a few small sandwiches for the priest, taking a seat next to him on the couch as she handed them to him. "Don't worry about the Cafe, hm? We'll have it cleaned up soon enough." She paused, smiling softly as she let the priest gather his thoughts for a moment before continuing. "I don't mean to sound too forward, dear, but perhaps you could tell us some information about those...troublesome children." A look of expectancy crossed her features. She really did hope he would cooperate.

[Lord of Evil]

Kael made himself busy with a broom, sweeping up the ashes left from the hell hound. He wasn't too far away from the questioning but he didn't feel the need to participate. He was sure that Suzue had it handled. And Asia might have some sway with the man, considering her background. But above all those reasons, the reason he wasn't taking part in the discussion was because Kael didn't trust priests. They were the natural enemy of devils, after all. He simply couldn't trust the man, despite him taking the bullet meant for their leader. Kael supposed that he owed the man something for that, but still.

Despite putting his best efforts into sweeping, Kael kept an eye on the holy man. He didn't seem aware that the cafe had been staffed by devils, but that didn't necessarily mean he had good intentions for them. And even if he was outnumbered, it was still possible that he would try to take them down, and the time for that probably wouldn't be any better than now. The priest could try whatever he wanted, but Kael was watching. And sweeping up hellhound remains.

[PaulHaynek]

~@Rune_Alchemist, @Lord of Evil (KEL)~

"Hmm~ We should be thanking you, sir, for protecting our King from that fireball. Not that a simple fireball would have done her much harm, though. Don't worry about the Cafe, hm? We'll have it cleaned up soon enough."

Suzue Yamazaki

"Ah yes, it would probably only leave soot on her. Well I didn't know at the time that you were Devils." The priest agreed. "Then again, I still would've done the same regardless. Reflexes and all that, you know?"

"I don't mean to sound too forward, dear, but perhaps you could tell us some information about those...troublesome children."

Suzue Yamazaki

The priest was quiet for a bit, deciding how to answer that question. "I'm... That information is normally classified. But since you've been a big help, I guess I can reveal just a bit. However, I do ask of you that you do not reveal this to just anyone. It is classified for a reason and it would be... bad if such revelations reach the supernatural worlds."

"They are cultists. Followers of one of three evil deities. Their main objective is to bring their master into our world... worlds." The priest revealed. "They were mostly silent and few in number back in the day but since... something happened, they have become active and numerous. I and a huge element of the Church, under the orders of the Pope, have taken it upon ourselves to stop them. Whatever their schemes are." He explained. "I'm... I'm afraid that's all what I can tell for now. Besides, this fight is not your fight. It is between the Church and the cultists. Unless one of their gods gets summoned, then it becomes... complicated but such a thing is unlikely."

"It was because God died, isn't it?" Asia suddenly spoke, sparking surprise from the priest. "The reason why these... dark powers, are active?"

The priest's expression grimmed. "How do you know this?"

"I was nun once. And my peers told me all about this. All about Atuyan, Ekarn and Wangkor." Asia answered and revealed more. "I... didn't think they were real. They never really told it in a factual way, if you know what I mean."

"Well, I'm afraid they're real. Evidenced by the... scuffle earlier." The holy man replied. "Well again, I must thank you. Though, may you tell me your names? I am Calvin, by the way."

[Shadow Daedalus]

James Ashe-Hartnet

James looked between the two other devils within the kitchen, watching as Sato seemed more interested in the dishes to be done and Daithi seemed to be too lost in thought to be of any use. He sighed in response to Sato's comment. Looks like he'd need to take the lead on this one...

"Well, Carrot before the stick..." By his reckoning, it couldn't hurt to play nice to begin with, if only as a formality. He wasn't expecting much success, quite the opposite in fact, but it could save him getting his hands dirty if they just told what he wanted to know. He pushed himself from where he was leaning on the kitchen worktop and moved over to where the the Cultists were restrained. The stream of utter drivel largely went in one ear and out of the other, but he did pick out a few useful bits of information.

"I suppose there isn't much point in dancing around the issue, so I'll be straight with you, I want to know who you are and who's this 'Lord' of yours? Going of what I can infer from what you said earlier, He's definitely not a Devil, but he is a supernatural of some kind, so that makes you what? Cultists? Acolytes? Minions?"

Externally, he kept an icy facade but internally he sighed in frustration and disappointment. This really wasn't how he'd planned on spending his day off...

[Polaris North]

Daithi Akasuki

Daithi wasn't exactly catching on with what the captive was saying. There were saying something about having some sort of Lord. It reminds him of how humans believe about God and Him taking them to paradise. It was eerily similar, though from context - they sound like there were more merciless, a lot more violent and a lot less forgiving. He crossed his arms and leaned near the wall. He inwardly sighed when the one who was blabbering was quieted down by his companion. He thought that they could gain more information without saying anything but it seems not. Well, that was unfortunate. Truly. However, James seemed to have it under control though.

He moved to make some coffee since it wasn't really too far. He needed something to drink. While it was still brewing, he looked back at the captive cultists and listened to James as he questioned them. "They seem more like cultists from your choices. From how they were referring to their Lord earlier, it sounds like that." He pointed out. He grew silent as he began rifling through his memories of his life before falling. Perhaps he's heard of this cult from somewhere. However, nothing was appearing. This was odd. Considering that their fight was with a priest, he, as an angel, should have known about it. But he didn't.

"What is the name of your so-called Lord?"

[PaulHaynek]

~@Shadow Daedalus, @Polaris North~

"I suppose there isn't much point in dancing around the issue, so I'll be straight with you, I want to know who you are and who's this 'Lord' of yours? Going of what I can infer from what you said earlier, He's definitely not a Devil, but he is a supernatural of some kind, so that makes you what? Cultists? Acolytes? Minions?"

James Ashe-Hartnet

"What is the name of your so-called Lord?"

Daithi Akasuki

"We are the followers of Atuyan the Whisperer." The cultist, quite surprisingly, answered without hesitation. Surprising even his companion. "He is a god of immense power and once ruled over all the planes in the distant past. However, his rule was cut short when his fellow gods at that time tricked him into his downfall and has remained dormant ever since. But, he made a vow that he would return and take back what was his once more."

"And that time dawns, Devils." He continued. "Unlike your masters, or the masters of the angels, or the masters of the other supernatural, our master does not discriminate. He welcomes and rewards all that would serve him faithfully. And woe to those who defy him."

"So what say you, Devils?" He then asked. "Why not serve Lord Atuyan and be granted a place in his world? Since you are a Devil of much power, he would certainly give you a higher position than me. More than that, he will also give you anything you ask for. The most extravagant of luxury, the most beautiful women, the most finest food. It's not too late, you know?Perhaps recommend it to your friends?"

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Suzue Yamazaki~

Suzue listened with a soft smile, sitting next to the priest. It seemed like a complicated matter, really - and a dangerous one. The spider hummed lightly as she processed the information. Well, there was nothing to be done, it seemed. If these cultists did pose a threat there wasn't much she could do herself, aside from make sure they didn't hurt people. Still, the priest was right. It wasn't there fight, technically...but it left a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. If one of there so called gods did get summoned, judging from the priests tone it...wouldn't be pretty. Suzue could only think about her family - if something happened to them....

well.

It was the only motivation she'd need to make sure these cultists didn't succeed.

"Ah...you may call me Suzue, Calvin." The spider replied softly. "Suzue Yamazaki to you humans." She giggled, not really elaborating on that. "And this is Asia. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind being introduced either. They a little...excitable but most of them are good little ones." She laughed lightly, standing up from her seat having decided that was at least as much information as they were going to get.

[Lord of Evil]

Sato listened to the cultists talk with mild disinterest. It wasn't really anything he hadn't heard before, particularly from the mormons that went door to door, and it was pretty sure it wasn't the info they really wanted.
"If we really wanted to know who these guys were under, couldn't we have just asked the priest?" Sato said to the others, ignoring the cultist's sales pitch.
The deal was somewhat tempting but he had no intention of taking it. There was probably a lot of things the cultists weren't telling him, and making moves based on half-baked information was always a bad idea. Still, they seemed cooperative enough, though he wasn't sure they still would be after a certain point.
"Anyway, shouldn't we be asking them about their numbers? What they were trying here? Their secret base or whatever?" He asked his colleagues.

---

Kael was debating whether or not to tell the priest his name. On the one hand, he didn't trust priests, but it would be pretty rude considering the social situation. Still, Kael's family valued their secrecy. The only one who knew his full name was his master Delilah, and he intended to keep it that way.

Kael swept silently for a moment before meeting the priest's eyes, beginning to speak.
"My apologies, honored guest, but I would rather not name myself for the time being." Kael said to the man with a polite tone. "Please understand, it's a personal preference."
Kael's eyes were resolute and unwavering. He waited in place, stock still, waiting for the priest's answer.

[PaulHaynek]

~@Rune_Alchemist, @Lord of Evil (KEL)~

"Ah...you may call me Suzue, Calvin. Suzue Yamazaki to you humans. And this is Asia. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind being introduced either. They a little...excitable but most of them are good little ones."

Suzue Yamazaki

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yamazaki, Miss Asia." Calvin bowed his head once. "I must say I have not met any arachnid creatures in my ventures. I'd like to know more about you and your kind if I am permitted."

"My apologies, honored guest, but I would rather not name myself for the time being. Please understand, it's a personal preference."

Kael

"I understand." The priest replied. "Though, then you'll have to forgive me if I refer to you as Mister Shadow Man when the need arises in the future." He added. Figuring if that statement was a jest or if he was being serious proved to be more difficult than one would think since he delivered it with a friendly smile.

"Anyway, I will not take up too much of your time." Calvin began as he stood up and stretched a bit to regain full control of his body. "Once more, I thank you again for helping me. Though may I request one last service? May I use your comfort room?" He asked with a sheepish smile on his face.

Asia pointed the priest to the correct direction. When he was gone, she turned to Suzue and Kael. "Guys, I don't really trust that man." She confessed. "I feel like... I really feel like he's hiding something. From us, more specifically. I think he has a hidden agenda." Asia shared her view. "Maybe... maybe it is just a feeling. But I do think we need to keep our guards up around him. I'm sorry if I sound... bad."

"Besides that, I..." Asia hesitated, as if she was going to say something unthinkable. "I think we should hold this information from our King." She suggested a very questionable action. "Hear me out, you two. I am loyal to Lady Delilah but I also care about her. Knowing her, she might get herself entangled in this mess out of a sense of justice or she might want to get back at them for attacking us. Not only would that get herself in danger, that might also derail her current objectives of finding out what happened to her parents."

"It's... just a suggestion. Something to think about, that's all."

[Lord of Evil]

"I feel like... I really feel like he's hiding something. From us, more specifically. I think he has a hidden agenda."

Of course he is. Kael replied in his head.

"Besides that, I..." Asia hesitated, as if she was going to say something unthinkable. "I think we should hold this information from our King."

"That's no good." He muttered under his breath, just quiet enough to not be heard by the girl.

He listened to her reasoning as he continued sweeping. He understood where she was coming from, to a certain extent, but he didn't really agree that they should hide this information. He had faith in Delilah, no matter what she did, but that wouldn't really comfort the girl any. So how should he put it?
"...You should have a little more faith in our king." Kael said suddenly.
He realised that he probably sounded condescending, but it was too late to back out now. At times like this it was probably better just to speak his mind, since he didn't really know what to say.
"I mean, I don't think she would put us in danger like that without good cause." He continued hurriedly. "Besides, there's no tactical advantage in withholding such information anyway."
He became silent afterwards, partially through awkwardness, but he wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying. Kael was Mostly concentrating on getting the dog ash in a neat pile, before he realised that he didn't have the dustpan. He supposed he would have to excuse himself for the moment.
"Um, I'm going to get the dustpan." Kael said. "I'll... be back soon."
With that he left the broom by a table and went towards the cleaning cupboard.

The team had basically done what they had needed to do and should be cleaning, but he couldn't get Asia's earlier statement about the priest out of his mind. He mulled it over as he opened the cupboard and retrieved the cleaning implement. Surely it would be folly to leave a priest unsupervised in their cafe... Kael glanced left and right.

The comfort room was further down the hall, but Delilah did want the cafe cleaned first. Still, he couldn't ignore a possible threat. Making his decision, Kael closed the cupboard and headed towards the comfort room. Just to check, at least for a moment.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Suzue Yamazaki~

Suzue held her cheek with a hand, frowning slightly as she listened to Asia's concerns. Perhaps she should be a little more mistrustful, but...they had no reason to mistrust him, aside from him being from the church. Even so, if it was Asia voicing those concerns then perhaps there was some validity to them. The spider hummed to herself in thought, unsure of what course of action to take. She couldn't deny that the priest may have had some sort of hidden agenda, which was no good at all. Especially if it involved harming them. Still...

"Ahhh, that's no good Asia." Suzue shook her head. "I'll have a few of the little ones keep an eye on the priest." Meaning, of course, a few of the spiders that scurried about the area. They were fairly useful as spies and information gatherers and she always ahd a few about. They were fairly handy at keeping out the pesky bugs as well. "Hmm...if she asks I won't lie. Not to mention the others interrogating the cultists." Suzue replied with a small smile. "Though perhaps I could have a little fun with it, hehe." Suzue laughed softly, giving Asia a pat on the head. Despite the girl having been here longer than she, Suzue couldn't help but to always find Asia to be more of a little sister than anything.

"I'll deal with Delilah then, hm? You go rest a bit. There's still some tea left, I believe." With that, Suzue walked out of the room and headed towards the front of the Cafe, intending to help with the clean up and intercept

[PaulHaynek]

~@Rune_Alchemist, @Lord of Evil (KEL)~

"That's no good...You should have a little more faith in our king. I mean, I don't think she would put us in danger like that without good cause. Besides, there's no tactical advantage in withholding such information anyway."

Kael

"Ahhh, that's no good Asia."

Suzue Yamazaki

Asia sighed but smiled. "Hmm, if you guys think so. I'll follow your judgment." Asia replied. "Well, I guess I'll be having some of that tea. But if you need some help cleaning up, just give me a call alright?"

-----

Kael followed the priest to the comfort room but before he can open the door, it opened with Calvin on the other side. "Whoa! You startled me there, Sir Devil." He said, surprised. "Are you using the C.R. too? If so, let me get out of your way."

Calvin strode past Kael before suddenly stopping and turning back. "I'm not sure if I could get an opportunity again for this so I'm saying it right now..." He looked left and right for anyone else, not spotting the spiders of Suzue that spied on him. "I... That girl, Asia." He started with a quiet tone. "She seems... off. It's like... there's something about her that's not... that isn't right." The priest confessed. "I... Forgive me. I should not be speaking ill of your trusted friends. I'm sorry." He apologized after realizing what he had just said.

After that, Calvin bode farewell just outside of the cafe with Kael and Suzue. "Once more, I thank you for aiding me against the forces of evil." He said to both Kael and Suzue but he was not quite done yet when he remembered something. "Also, I... your King. She looks... She reminds me of someone. I may be asking for too much but... do you know her past?" He asked. "I just want to confirm something."

[Polaris North]

Daithi Akasuki

Daithi was quite surprised to hear the cultist reveal the information so willingly. So their Lord's name is Atuyan the Whisperer and apparently there were other gods who led to his downfall. Whatever mythology this was, Daithi wasn't acquainted with it. He talked about how Atuyan the Whisperer would rise again to take everything back. He then went on to tell them that they should listen join with forces with the god as he doesn't discriminate. Everything that was being laid on the table were enticing to a normal man - unfortunately, Daithi was no normal man.

He turned his head to Sato as he told them his input. Daithi nodded his head, finding no faults in his logic. Daithi turned back to the cultists and said, "Your offer is enticing. To join a powerful god does seem to be an ideal course of action hm?" He said before taking a cup of coffee and then sipping from it, eyes still coldly regarding the cultists. His tone of voice betrayed the look in his eyes.

"However, I'm not so easily bought. How can I be so sure that this is the winning side? How many are you, that you are so assured that your forces would be enough to turn the world over? Is your own base of operations so hidden that you are assured that no one would come there to foil it?"