[IC] The Devil Hunter Agency

[Kazemitsu]

Kaze's eyes closed as he went into the secret portion of the DHA. That little underground bit that normal society didn't know of and would probably have screaming nightmares if they could see some of the creatures that frequented it. He knew the saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but he never cared for it. He didn't trust even a fraction of the youkai, demons, and spirits he had met over the years. Did he kill indiscriminately? No, that was foolish and would paint an utterly massive target on his back. He was strong, powerful even, but he wasn't unkillable.

His huge mitts for hands ran through his hair, ruffling the already wild and pointed locks when a breeze kicked up. A breeze underground. Sighing an eye opened and there was a small female youkai with a piece of paper. Plucking it out of the outstretched hand the girl zipped off, a speed demon. Oooo clever word play here! Glancing down at the paper, a meeting? They did those here? Normally all he got was a call over the phone to let him know what's going on. Guess the Japs were more formal. Or maybe he just wasn't ranked high enough to get into meetings back home. Physical might did not dictate whether you were of high standing after all.

Blah, it was too late for him his brain was going haywire with every stray thought. A hand ran down his face before both eyes opened and he made his way to the meeting room. That was probably why the place felt so deserted, humans were in bed. You know...he didn't see any no smoking signs. His cigar was out of his pocket and held in his mouth while he dug around in his pocket for a moment. Just as he entered the meeting room he pulled out a metal tube with a rod within. A flick of his thumb lit the rod, it was one of those matches that wouldn't be put out aside from smothering. Lighting up his cigar he tubed the match and pocketed it.

"So what's up...?" He questioned once he looked up and to the people within.

[Lonewolf685]

Rufus

A hand that summoned demons when slapped. If plants didn't do the same thing when bugs nipped at their leaves, Rufus would have thought it absurd. Though how a seemingly stone hand formed a symbiotic relationship with demons, he'll never know. Perhaps it was tired of humans slapping it on drunken dares and learned how to call demons to eat the humans? Well, Rufus wasn't paid to think about such things so he nodded towards the woman who must have been there the entire time, lounging on the couch with her presence concealed. He'd have known otherwise, restrictions be damned.

"Sure thing, drinks on the tap all around. Oh, I've always wanted to do this. Cool cat on the couch, just stay there and hold your hand like you're gonna grab a drink!" Rufus chortled, filling a heavy, handled glass till foam mushroomed over the lip and spilled with a torrent of snaps and fizzy pops. Setting it down upon the bar he reared his arm back before sliding it sharply towards the wall at terminal velocity for glassware. It filled him with glee to live out his inner Tapper dream and he already moved on to prepping a glass of rootbeer for 3 teenage looking demons and their human snack.

"Next one is to Flowers, followed by Boy Genius, Queen of Porcelain, and ending with BBQ. Remember, I'm not paid to clean up messes, so if you don't catch it, duck!"

[The 42nd Gecko]

Da-Xia Chen

Devil's Hangout

---

"Hum. It does seem to be a bar." Da-Xia seemed quite surprised it actually was a bar. She had only thrown that as an outrageous outlier possibility. "Devil and Devil Hunter alike seem to share their preferred hangout spots." She paused after entering, glancing in each direction to take stock of the situation.

"Ah! I do quite well, thank you very much, young master!" Da-Xia answered Rufus' greeting a with a cordial nod. She seemed to treat the 'ageless youths' as actual youths though by her word choice. "Mmm, I don't think I have any need to enter a bargain for more power yet. I seem to do alright for myself so far. Would be a bit anti-climactic to do it right now instead of like, when desperately clinging to life or needing to save family or something." She gives perhaps a little more serious thought to the idea of becoming a devil feeder than normal. She caught the slid drink and without pausing a beat, pulled out a small flask to pour a little on top, followed by a lighter to set her newly enhanced drink aflame. It seemed her taste for fire didn't only cover battle aesthetics, but also literal taste.

She was just about to drink her still on fire drink, when her eyes opened wide at the sight of the person sitting on the couch. "Beniha?" She lowered the drink, incredulous. But then she looked more closely. "Ah, no, too happy to be Beniha. Sorry for confusion, you have similar fashion."

"Humaneaters... Anonymous?" Da-Xia did not seem entirely convinced. "This seems a bit far fetched. The human flesh dependency is not something that can be avoided. Worked around, but not avoided." Her eyes examined Shika suspiciously.

"On the other hand, luring song thingie seemed to lure two demons who seem to be nice, so I guess it makes sense! Hello, I am Da-Xia, Knight-Errant and Devil-Hunter." She introduced herself to them after seeming to convince herself, standing tall with a hand across her chest. Then, she flourished a deck of cards, one half brightly colored and the other dark but still with a variety of tones. "Anyone for a Shadow Game of Uno?" She asked cheerfully. Apparently it was her custom to play uno variants in bars.

[KoL]

As expected, the one waiting for the Hunters at the meeting room was none other than Mako. While it was unlike she would be the one relaying whatever message the DHA had for them, nonetheless she was there before the Japanese branch's leader as always.

"Welcome, please have a seat. Tonight's meeting will be about the future of our operations. Since we got so much new blood, it seems that the director decided to organize you into teams. He'll be here to explain everything in a few moments," she said to anyone who asked. "While you wait, you can have some refreshments if you feel so inclined," Mako added as she pointed to a table at the corner of the room with green tea and rice crackers.

※ ※ ※

Meanwhile, it seemed that more and more being gathered at the bar answering the alluring call of the stones. The place was literally filled with the shadows that echoed the darkness of its occupants' hearts, or at least they probably did for a being in particular who stood at a particularly dim-lit corner.

It was possible that the human between them would be unable to see little more than a nondescript shade peering back at her with a strangely amused stare. However, the other demons would be able to distinguish the appearance of the seemingly highschool-aged girl with thick dark hair and crimson eyes staring back at them.

The girl with a snake-like aura didn't say a word or made any sound, even her breathing was entirely soundless. In fact, even her presence, or lack of thereof, was entirely strange, like staring into a deep dark void. Nevertheless, it was pretty clear she wasn't the one who called all the demons here, just one more of their kin answering to the stones.

Whoever, or whatever, was behind this unexpected gathering had yet to reveal themselves.

---

[Octo]

It was a good sign that Da-Xia had no problem with Hanako taking a little blood, especially that which the knight had already spilled, but Hanako assumed that the method by which the blood was to be obtained wouldn't be so easily allowed. Being wholly intangible, her only real method to steal delicious vitae was a direct possession. She would wait until Da-Xia trusted her more to admit that much. For now, however, it was time to go on an adventure!

But first the gas station. As Da-Xia filled up, Hanako danced around and sang "Gas Gas Gas" by Manuel. Hanako had the need for speed, and doubtless Da-Xia would not disappoint in that regard. As they sped off into the night, the ghost wished that she could once more feel the wind in her hair.

When they arrived, however, it did indeed turn out to be a bar. Da-Xia's guess was weirdly spot-on. They were fed some weird line about a "Humaneaters Anonymous," which Hanako was almost certain she would have heard of, but it's not like she had any evidence to the contrary. In fact, it would probably be safest for her new Hunter friend if they played along regardless, so Hanako floated over and slapped the hand.

"Atatatatata~" she sang, hitting the hand with a series of mighty slaps before turning around and catching what she assumed was an alcoholic beverage with her telekinetic grip. She raised the glass up, and downed the drink in one before slamming the glass on the table. Surely the other demons would be intimidated by her display of bravado, despite the fact that she couldn't even drink the beverage and instead held the liquid up inside her opaque form with what amounted to a small telekinetic bowl.

Being a ghost as long as she had brought with it a few perks, such as a practiced telekinetic precision that was great for party tricks like looking as if she drank a whole lot really quickly. This was her true power.

"Whoo! I'm up for Uno," she slurred like a party girl, taking a seat, "snake girl? Beniha's sister? Bartender? Curls? Or are we starting the meeting right away?"

[OwO]

Beniha reached the base in due time. Handed in her complaint and got the reward, too. She didn't get much time to relax, so it would have seemed. She did take her time getting back, but to be summoned right after? Probably some important meeting. Meetings weren't that common of an occurrence, especially for devil hunters.

She slipped around until she reached meeting room 5. There wasn't much that Beniha could say about it; it was a meeting in a regular meeting room. Boring stuff, but stuff she'd done countless times in her years as a hunter.

"A stogie in a meeting. Bold." She commented as Kaze began to smoke. There was a time and place for everything. In Beniha's eyes, right before a meeting wasn't that time.

The offer of snacks may have been good for the devil bringers, but not for the feeders. It was like offering a pile of sand to them. Well, it wasn't like Beniha cared. The alternative was serving a hunk of supernatural odds and ends. It wasn't that appealing to have gooey bits in the middle of a meeting.

[Kazemitsu]

Almost as soon as Kaze lit up his cigar a female voice piped up nearby. A blink and he turned his head to look down at Beniha with a raised eyebrow as he inhaled on his cigar. His thick fingers came up and plucked the thing from his mouth before smoke poured from his mouth, his lips making it go up to the ceiling. What could be smelled had the faint scent of apples.

"If anyone has an issue with my smoking they can say so. Depending on how its said and who gives the request I might stop...or I'll add five more, Feather Lady." He rumbled out, he didn't actually know her name. So turning he held out his free hand for a handshake. "Names Kazemitsu, Kaze normally, and I hope we have some fun beating up some baddies." He continued, despite his background and scarred face he still had some youthful cheerfulness to him.

Another voice, one familiar since he had gotten his pay from her, called for people to please be seated. Oh boy they were going to be put on teams! Well each team would need a native since all the imports probably didn't know the area well. It'd take forever to learn all these streets even with GPS. So he took a seat after shucking off his heavy coat and hanging it on the back of the chair. Big reveal (not really) from big man, he's built like a tank and he kept most of his weight off the chair while waiting for the meeting to start.

[TheWendil]

“In a few moments” turned out to be quite literal on Mako’s part. No sooner had she announced the intention of the meeting did the leader of Japan’s DHA branch show up. In stepped a man who looked just as dead as Mako and just as exhausted in the eyes too. Or maybe it was merely age that plagued his bones so late at night. Regardless, those of the Japanese Branch would instantly recognize the one in charge, Headhunter Shindou. “It’s late and you’re all tired, so I’ll get right to the point.”

He spied the room, noting some hunters were already missing. Oh well, it’s not like information couldn’t be spread for what would be said, especially with their current staff in the base and Sonchiku’s speed. “It’s exactly as Mako said. You’re being placed into teams due to the high number of hunters sent out on request. Many of you filed in complaints about the lack of coordination tonight. This was somewhat intentional,” Shindou yawned. “We wanted to see how well you all could get along with your foreign partners. At the same time, we weren’t sure what kind of variables were at play to send Youkai into such a frenzy. Given the unknown nature of the now known black rocks, we strived on the premise of caution over expense.”

A moment was spared for the Headhunter to rub at his eyes briefly, some replacement for a yawn. “Thanks to Kazemitsu we can study what the black rocks are. However, the dysfunctional behavior of your work will no longer be a problem. Your new teams will be spearheaded by a senior hunter in the Japanese branch.” Shindou dug a hand into his coat pockets, fishing around until he eventually produced a small slip of paper before noting Kazemitsu’s smoking. “It’s best you refer to her by name instead of “Feather Lady” because you’ll be placed under Beniha’s command, Kazemitsu. Same goes for Adam and Da-Xia whenever she bothers to show up. Mai, you’ll be under Hoshio with Maria and Mizuki. Relay that information to them. That’s all until your next assigned hunting tasks.”

Shindou was already walking off and away while the others could get adjusted to their newfound revelation. Mingle with their teammates or sleep; whatever the case, the night was theirs and free for them to do with it as they pleased. The arrival of the black rocks no doubt implied a new wild factor that would be present in missions from now on anyway so it was better to get acquainted with people sooner or later. A similar case was playing out opposite Siracha Town in the so mentioned “Humaneaters Anonymous” bar. The eye-patched girl chuckled from the scene taking place in front of her.

“Nice one,” she mused as Shika swiftly transformed herself right before the blatant human in the group walked into the bar. A hand outstretched itself to catch the cold mug Rufus, now bartender, tossed out. “Welcome, welcome new timers. Here at Humaneaters Anonymous we don’t discriminate so long as you praise the Hand of Manos,” she said smoothly, playing along to the tale Shika spun. It was hard not to acknowledge the elephant in the room though, but funnily that problem strolled itself proudly without hesitation. “Beniha? Never heard of her. But you can call me the Envoy,” the new girl told Da-Xia with a swig of her drink.

“Oh, I’m sure you wouldn’t have heard of a group like ours. Human perception of how the supernatural works can be so skewered sometimes, but hey, it’s not far out the realm of possibility right? For example, I can say just the same of a human being friends with a ghost~” The Envoy gave a smirk to Hanako’s display, flicking her one eye from Da-Xia to her and back. Her lips were covered in leftover froth from the drink, licked away quickly. Or maybe it was meant for the new girl standing alone in the corner. “Not much of a party-goer, are you?” she asked, uncaring if she was given an answer.

“Now then, everyone rub the good Hand of Manos? Good~ We can begin our monthly meeting, plus one human. Our first notion: What do we do about the plus one human~?”

[SilverPaw]

Hoshio Kikuchi

Hoshio was rudely disturbed by a very juvenile devil, who slipped him a piece of paper and info about the meeting. “Old…? Aren’t devils usually the older ones?” he wondered to himself; the devil had already speeded off. He wasn’t particularly bothered, so headed to the canteen. He had been thinking about getting food after all; might as well check if there were any discounts.

There weren’t. But he did end up getting some sara udon, which was decent enough. It sated his hunger and warmed his belly; he didn’t need much more than that. Well, a full night’s rest would be fine by him. However, he had a meeting to attend. He trudged to room 5, feeling generally better, but still tired. The ‘refreshments’ in the meeting room were just some rice crackers and green tea. Very bland stuff, though he did take a cup of tea.

When he saw Shindou arrive, he took the nearest empty seat, and listened to the man’s speech. He listened to the speech, and had to prevent a scoff at their esteemed leader claiming tonight’s lack of organization was ‘intentional’. What bullshit. As if they haven’t ever had previous experiences working alongside with foreigners. Granted, not in such numbers, but still. He also dearly wanted to tell the man that his so-called hopes of ‘caution’ had literally been burned down to the ground by the first person who’d arrived at the scene.

Hoshio was slightly surprised that he was named on of the leaders, even after his several years of absence from the country, but he recognized that they didn’t have much of a choice. It wasn’t a responsibility he particularly wanted to be saddled with, but he’d just have to deal somewhat. “Alright, alright, Mai, Maria, Mizuki,” he muttered to himself.

Before the people dispersed too much, he went asking around, trying to find which of his teammates had even been in the meeting and who was still missing. He’d have to find ‘his’ pyromaniac asap; given that Da-Xia had been assigned to the other team, it left him with the unknown fire-winged lady. He didn’t expect her to be too difficult to find, but he’d prefer if he could also catch the others before they left, so he’d at least be able to get briefly acquainted with them.

[ERode]

Shika’s new eyes flickered over to the bartender, memorizing his face. Flowers? Now where did he learn about that? They smiled nonetheless, blocking rather than catching the brown liquid. They didn’t drink, however, their eyes settled back on the motorcycling human with a strange preference for drinking things that were on fire. A cool party trick, but one that was still cringeworthy. The woman’s questions too, could be worked around fairly easily.

“Far-fetched for a human who had bought the DHA’s propaganda, perhaps. Honestly though, for most demons, it’s less a problem with survival and more a matter of gluttony. After all, plenty could subsist off mere a strip of flesh or two, and it is only by choice that they commit murder to sate their craven desires.” Shika sighed in disappointment, shaking their head. It was quite novel, feeling the weight of their curls. “Alas, they’re trapped in the past unable, truly, to see that the changing of diets must follow the changing of eras.”

Well, the hunter probably tuned out most of Shika’s performance after they justified this whole meeting themselves. The bramble-haired individual finally sipped at the root beer, enjoying the earthy sweetness on their tongue, and stepped aside to let the new trio enter as they slapped the hand statue. The ghost girl among them seemed particularly energetic in her efforts, and that enthusiasm, perhaps, was what allowed her to call forth a creature most void-like, most black. A vampire with a snake motif? Or just the specter of a lonely person? Definitely had all the social presence of an eternal wallflower. Shika smiled at their latest acquisition but didn’t call out. Having a phantom sixth could be useful, if this particular hunter was capable of causing a ruckus even without her weapons.

Shika remained at the entrance as the ‘Envoy’ began to speak up. The hunter had come with two demons herself, both of which had willingly led her into this den of devils. Whatever drink that the bartender had slid over to the hunter didn’t seem to be poisoned either, or at least didn’t have any immediate effects. Magical, maybe? Hunters were always so vulnerable to such underhanded tricks like that, being the mundanes they were. The snake-vampire-wallflower was an unknown, while the Envoy seemed to be having, fun, but what sort of fun?

“Well, we’ve scored quite a few newcomers this time around. Perhaps to welcome them, as well as our first human humaneater, I could whip up a quick dish, show them exactly how filling a low-meat dish can be? Of course, you two are welcome to partake as well.”

Shika decided, then, that there was no need to be hasty. Flowers didn’t sprout within the hour, after all.

[Lonewolf685]

Rufus

"Oh I wouldn't say she's my first human-eating human. I donate my excess food to the homeless and desperate, and they've never had a word of complaint about the other-white-meat-on-rye sandwich." Rufus opined with an airy whistle, idly portalling glasses onto shelves and cabinets as he moved on to next in a long procession of infinite mug cleaning. You weren't a bartender if you weren't dispensing life advice, polishing glasses, or serving beer at all times, after all.

"Saying that, I should mention I've totally fallen off the wagon. I, well, lasted a week before
giving in to my urges about...eh, ten minutes ago? Someone had the brilliant idea of leaving out singing landmines and, whelp, my hand just had to poke the singing rock at the wrong time. Hey, Envoy, you know anything about that? Cause I think the human-eating human is the only one not called here by some familiar tunage."

[Flood]

Gods Play Dice With The Universe
It's Your Turn Now
Carnage One
Let's Samba!

Of course work was gonna get in the way of Maria talking to a cutie, it always did! She honestly wanted to reach out and throttle the weird little youkai just for this terrible timing, but by the time she had resolved herself to grab the thing's neck it was already gone. Another loud sigh escapes her lips as she gets up and heads for the meeting room, this one much more genuine when compared to her sigh from just a few moments prior. "Maybe I should have stayed in Mexico... ah, it's fine. Just need to get this meeting over with fast, right-?" She looks back to the table and the person she was just eating with hoping for some kind of conversation starter, only to realize she's already gone. Were all the Japanese this rude? "Well that settles that, I'm sticking by her until she starts talking." Maria nods to herself firmly as she heads off to find the meeting room, priorities set and goal clear in mind!

It actually took a minute for Maria to find the meeting room in question, she didn't exactly have anyone guiding her after all, but she made it eventually. Last one in it seems, just in time for the very tired looking man in charge to assign her to a team! "Perfect, I was just looking for her!" Maria called out cheerfully as she walked over to the seat next to Mai and plopped down, kicking her legs up onto the table and reclining in her chair as she looked over at the older woman with a carefree smile. "So it looks like we're going to be working together huh? I hope you'll take care of me, show me around town so to speak. All these streets look exactly the same, it's so easy to get lost! I have no idea how you people do it honestly."

[samakama]

Limen was no alcoholic, but he couldn’t deny being a humaneater. Technically his human body could probably qualify him for the ‘cannibal’ label, although some purists — particularly of the violent, hunting, sometimes demoneating variety — would argue otherwise. Either way, perhaps he had come to the right place to overcome his addiction in a conducive environment and with a support circle of like-minded fellows. Never mind the fact that it was a bar, and the bartender had made off with a few corpses just earlier.

At least the fellow was competent enough a barkeeper to keep his alcohol license, tossing the underage-looking demon a non-alcoholic drink. A little spilled from Limen’s mug, but that was hardly an issue. A quick barrier intercepted the droplets before they soiled Rufus’ lovely floor and reduced them to atomic dust. No signs of tampering or contamination. It was authentic, unadulterated root beer.

Sip.

Root beer never had been Limen’s favourite drink. It had always been a very American beverage to him, especially since they had long since stopped putting in real sassafras. He set the mug down. In the meantime, it would appear that he had been initiated into the group which had come into existence but two minutes prior.

So be it. “I, Limen, do hereby pledge to remain sober to the best of my ability. Now let us eat and drink in celebration of our newfound temperance. Barkeep, have you got a loving cup to pass around? We ought to give our human friend a particularly warm welcome.”

He began thumping the table in time. Was that the right tempo? It had been many decades since he’d seen that so-called horror film.

“We accept her, we accept her. One of us, one of us.” Gooble gobble… Perhaps it would be best to leave that part out; it wouldn’t do to give her the impression that this troupe of devils was about to feast on her. No human-gobbling here at Humaneaters Anonymous! Da-Xia was no certainly trapeze artist, and it would be a great disservice to liken her to that villainess Cleopatra — but the scene was the first thing that had come to mind. Plus, the Envoy’s reference was surely the more obscure of the two cult classics.

“One of us, one of us.”

Fun and games wasn’t the only thing going through his mind, however. Limen, too, had a question to ask of that same laid-back demon. He put an end to the rhythmic countertop-abuse and let his hands rest on his head. “I am also curious. An envoy represents their master, acting to convey messages and further their interests. What tidings do you bear today, Envoy, and whence do they come?”

[OwO]

A deep sigh escaped Beniha's lips. She was now on official babysitting duty and who did she get? She got a punk who was closer to forty than his teenage years, a woman who thought it would be a good idea to just drive in on a bike and set things on fire to look cool, and Adam who... Well, Adam was normal. She could work with that. It could have been worse. She could have lost the rational Adam and had the macuahuitl maniac instead. They'd be a walking fire bomb at that point.

Though, she did pay attention to the line of Da-Xia not showing up. In an instant, she pulled out her old flip phone to send an angry text directed at Da-Xia.

You better not be doing something dumb, she furiously mashed on the number pad, or your new team leader will kill you. Me. I will.

She then turned once more Kaze. "It stains the walls. Common sense." Despite her obvious annoyance, she reached out and shook his hand. Though, she squeezed damn hard with a smile that could only be described as painfully forced. Harder than someone her size could usually muster, anyways.

And with that, she left the meeting room to finish up the rest of her obligations.

[Kazemitsu]

So they were going to be teamed up. Too many freelancers sounded like a bad idea, and again the whole getting lost bit. Two teams of four and...no one knew anything about the others except maybe what was in a file. Assuming files were even transferred. Fuck they were going to have to get to know each other the old fashioned way. Conversation. Funnily enough Beniha was already texting someone, probably their absent party member, with an old flip phone. Eh if it ain't broke no point replacing it.

Her response to his smoking made him raise an eyebrow. "Bit of Tough Stuff and no more stains." He replied, even diluted that cleaner was good stuff. Still she took his hand and squeezed what she could of it while they shook and had that forced smile on her face. Ah, they were playing that game? He didn't squeeze back, he just gave her a regular handshake with a normal grip. Well as normal a grip as a hand nearly twice the woman's size could provide.

"I'm already aware you're a feeder, we can do pissing contests later ma'am." He murmured to her as she got up and left. He left his own seat, swung his jacket onto his shoulder, and proceeded to leave as well. It was late so he would hunt around the place for a barracks. Or a couch. Either one would do for him.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Da-Xia Chen

Devil's Hangout

---

"Oooh, is that anime reference? I think I have been meaning to watch the one that is from." Da-Xia noted Hanako's choice of hand slapping techniques, leaning down lower onto the bar with terrible posture.

"A matter of gluttony? Hmm. Perhaps you are right. And thank you for the offer, but I just came from a noodle joint. I didn't know dinner would be provided, perhaps next time." She seemed to give Shika's idea some thought, but didn't have any novel contributions to keep the conversation thread going.

She was just about to drink her still on fire drink, when her eyes opened wide at the sight of the person sitting on the couch. "Mmm, don't know who Beniha is? Mmm. Would advise you find out. She is one of the more serious Demon Hunter types. You'd want to be careful, lest any unfortunate misunderstandings happen." She lowered the drink, incredulous. But then she looked more closely. "Ah, but apologies, I am ignorant as well, Envoy. What is the Hand of Manos?"

"Singing landmines, how dastardly!" Da-Xia slammed her drink against the table, apparently getting quite worked up about such an underhanded method. "Those are war crimes! One should face their foes head on in straight head to head honorable combat, not hide behind indiscriminate traps!"

In her incensed and potentially inebriated state, it seemed she missed Limen's reference in turn.

[dioscuri]

After listening to Mako’s explanation for the meeting, Mai went over to grab herself a cup of tea. She would normally enjoy a cup after dinner, but that was rudely interrupted by two unsuspecting guests. Well, she could at least relax a bit before the meeting started. As she waited for the Headhunter, Mai wondered who was going to be put on teams together. She hoped she didn’t have to work with that annoying girl at dinner or the one who decided to set the warehouse on fire. Rambunctious people tended to make the worst teammates.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the meeting did start rather quickly. Mai rolled her eyes at Shindou’s crappy explanation as to why there wasn’t any coordination last night. If anything, there should have been more planning considering that they knew foreign hunters would be present tonight. At least the mission was successful, and hopefully, the staff could figure out what the black rocks were.

When it was announced that Mai would be working with Maria, she did her best to hold in a sigh. Working with Hoshio and Mizuki would be fine, despite the latter being a devil feeder; she’s never been a fan of those hunters. However, she wasn’t keen on working with Maria. The little interaction she’s had with the hunter done nothing but left her feeling annoyed. As if summoned by her thoughts, the woman apparated next to her, speaking rather loudly. Gosh, did this girl have a volume dial somewhere? Or a mute button?

Looking around for her other fellow teammates, Mai saw Hoshio not too far away and beckoned him over. “I think as team leader, Hoshio would love to show you around. Right, Hoshio?” she innocently inquired, trying her best to off-load Maria onto him.

[TheWendil]

It was pleasant to see everyone getting along as much as they could. To the Envoy, it brought her low smirk into just a creak higher on her features, sipping at her drink all the while. Her head bobbed and she closed her single eye, a snappy motion brought on by her fingers as if she heard a tune only she could find. Bobbing and swaying, it was only when people started to ask her questions did she open her eye again, lost out of her trance with the music fading off and away.

“There’s no need to be shy around here new girl. Our members make the finest deserts that can quench even the most demonic of sweet tooths,” the Envoy said to Da-Xia, already nodding for Shika to go ahead and prepare her dish. She gave the girl a short thumbs up too before directing her full attention in answering the most curious of questions. The night was still young after all, and with it came the chill of tales to be told and curious ears ready to listen here and well. “The Hand of Manos is our logo of sorts. A nice little trademark gimmick you know. Every club needs a symbol people can recognize,”the Envoy said smoothly.

“You know, rumor has it that slapping the hand gives you good fortune. But learning about our silly rituals isn’t why you’re here huh?” She chuckled under the human’s declarations of war towards the user of the black rocks, a notion soon followed by keeping Limen and Rufus in the Envoy’s gaze. “Well, war crimes or not, you too might resort to underhanded tactics if you felt threatened. Humans so often do such things when cornered, don’t they? But that’s not for me to say. Or maybe it is.” Another chuckle.

“You can guess pretty well of whose service I speak for. The tidings I bring hail from the black rocks that drew you here,” the Envoy said, answering Limen and Rufus’ questions at the same time. “I speak for the rocks, just as some humans speak for the trees~ An apology can be made in order for your missing hand though. My masters, so to speak, are newly born into this exciting new world. Would you not react violently if strange men and women attacked you upon your first breath?” The Envoy had since finished her drink and this time made no secret in looking over Da-Xia. “My masters sought life before the Devil Hunters taught them fear. It was only a reactionary state. Just an observation, but maybe Shika’s right about this DHA being rooted in tradition.”

[ERode]

“One of us, one of us,” Shika chanted alongside Limen, their hand knocking against the counter rhythmically. It seemed as if everyone was settling in quite comfortably, and as the Envoy continued to speak, they strode into the back of the bar, opening the door to a small kitchen. Shika flicked on the lights, one ear listening to the woman’s curious explanation, while through the other ear, a tomato vine sprouted out of sight of the others. The plant grew rapidly, pliable greens hardening into tough vines, before cherry tomatoes popped out from them. Ripened but a bit dry, they were all shaped like miniature hearts, and Shika plucked them one by one, until she had a dozen to slice up.

There was an oven, but waiting for it to pre-heat would be annoying. Instead, Shika removed the defuser from the gas stove and fired up a powerful jet of flame. They split the tomatoes into perfect halves, coated them in some of the olive oil lying about in the cabinets, then skewered them with her elongated fingers and toasted them over the fire. The oil crackled and popped. The tomatoes shrivelled up but did not burn. And as they took on that perfect candy-red color, Shika pulled them out of the flames, slid them into a mixing bowl, sprinkled sugar on them, and tossed it a couple of times.

Voila. Caramelized tomatoes, a nice blend of tart, sweet, and umami.

Deciding that it wasn’t a formal enough affair to do anything fancy like plating it in some way, Shika wheeled out of the kitchen again, their fingers once more of human length. They popped one of the tomatoes into her mouth, then passed it around, first to the Envoy. “Have a taste,” they beamed, gaze lingering briefly on Da Xia as it swept the room, “Bit of a rush job, but it’s totally vegetarian and pretty tasty, if I say so myself!”

[Octo]

"...Manos? Either that's Spanish or a reference to a terrible old movie that was produced by a fertilizer salesman in Texas. I wonder if it's actually a club for demonic movie buffs? W-would they wanna watch MST3K with me?" Hanako wondered before joining in with Limen and Curls when they started banging on the table.

"We accept her, we accept her! One of us, one of us!"

She giggled. It was nice to be able to make friends with people who enjoyed the same stuff. She turned to Da-Xia and smiled.

"It's a good one, but I suggest reading the manga first. You get a better sense of Kenshiro's kindness and chivalry. He's not just a stoic badass, he's a gentle stoic badass. That's what transforms him from an action hero archetype into a person," Hanako said, nodding at her own words of wisdom, "I have the tankobons if you find yourself interested."

Anyways, the Envoy was certainly saying something important. Hanako reigned in her desire to talk about anime and movies for a moment to listen to her. She nodded, although still a bit confused.

"I should have been born a sentient mineral. When I got attacked by strangers I had nothing to do with, I mostly just died. They get to explode and have an envoy and everything. Not that I'm competing for the most tragic backstory, although I would totally win. Anyways, since you seem to know so much, mind telling me what they are exactly and why they're here? If they're gonna call out to me, I should at least get to know that much."

That said, Hanako waved down the bartender.

"Hey, can I get a Piano Woman over here? I have a feeling this is gonna be a night."