To abandon your ideals is to abandon yourself, but such is the only way to become a monster
As soon as the Ante Mortem left the company of Morty, who had passed out from shock, the two began to tour the air-craft. Rena frolicked about, her blond pigtails flailing while her partner lankly walked behind her, not a shred of enthusiasm in his fiber as his feet dragged across the floor. His sour mood came as no surprise to the Chrono, with the years they spent together Reri was quite aware of Angel's discomfort with most means of transport.
"Look, look!" A.M.R.O's princess exclaimed as she pointed towards the direction of the training room. "Terra is also here!" She chirped before dashing towards the woman that appeared to be monitoring the progress of her sparring students.
"Oh joy," Angel muttered sarcastically, feigning a welcoming smile and slowly joining his partner in welcoming the beloved Chrono Asylum, Terra. The Chrono of VIII, Terra Denver is among the most well known of the lot. Not only is she the second oldest among all Chronos, at one point the woman held the title of A.M.R.O's greatest hunter and even now her tracking skills are considered to be among the very best. However the people's love for her is not attributed to her functional characteristics but her motherly and caring personality, something which Angel had always found suffocating.
"Oh you look as adorable as ever!" The tall, freckled red head spoke, her hands clasped together at the exuberance of meeting the little princess. "tú cailín milis," she whispered in an accent that revealed her Irish roots, kneeling and embracing Rena who couldn't help but enjoy being doted on.
"Still the over-loving grand mother, eh?" Angel crowed in the background, his hand waving at the woman who had yet to let go of his partner.
"I don't look that old now do I?" She whimpered back with a frown on her face.
"What is wrong with being old, a wine is only as fine as its age," the Lost Number replied in a tone of assurance, hoping to avoid Terra's terrible habit of weeping whenever her feelings get hurt.
"Oh hush now, you charming devil," Terra whispered, blushing at the compliment and leaving Angel to ponder how quickly her mood changed. The woman's gentle nature always appeared to confuse the Asylum in the crimson waistcoat.
"He is mocking you, can't you see m'lady," a rather petite man appeared to speak from a distance, his threatening tone a kin to a kitten hissing. "I cannot allow this affront to my ward, I challenge you sir for berating my partner's honor!"
"Ah, so we have another who has the flair for theatrics. And who might you be and why should I accept this challenge?" The Silver Reaper replied in a casual tone, his entire relaxed demeanor serving to infuriate the challenger.
"I am Randoul Aymeri and the appointed partner of Terra Denver. I am the first alchemist born to my family who have been Seekers for over four centuries, even before that the Aymeri's were knights who would rise up against any injustice and I int-" Before the Lost Number could finish his noble introduction, Angel who by now had lost all interest had decided to walk away.
"How boring, well by all means continue this chivalrous pretense but I am under no obligation to play along in your foolish delusions." The silver tongued Crow calmly walked passed the astounded knight, signalling Rena that it is time they take their leave. "It was a pleasure Terra," he bid the Chrono with all the courtesy he could muster and with that the Ante Mortem were off.
"Take care of yourselves and come back to visit, okay?" Terra waved back at the departing duo with tears trickling down her cheek. Her infuriated partner on the other hand simply continued to glare at the man with the coffin on his back.
"You have no honor, you have no respect!" He screamed, his scorn directed at a man who simply appeared to shrug it off and disappear into a crowd.
------------Xx-------xX------------
What do you call a child raised by a demon?
After a few minutes of silence, Rena finally decided to make conversation about something that appeared to be bothering her. "Hey big brother, why did you let that guy talk to you like that? He said you have no honor," she spoke in a tone that appeared to be a little agitated. Clearly the over-protective Chrono had taken those words to heart and as such felt saddened.
Angel couldn't help but smile at his partner's worries, a kind and reassuring smile. "Listen up little one," he replied in a gentle tone while placing his coffin on the ground so the two could sit. "There are no certainties in life, sooner or later a situation comes that challenges your views and offers an ultimatum, adapt of fall. They either live long enough to become hypocrites or die before they can become one, though I suppose I still envy them. It is a sweet sin, believing in ideals. You become ignorant of all the burdens that are crushing you." Despite the sadness of these words, Angel continued to smile as his hands playfully ruffled his partner's hair. "I don't need ideals to fulfill my life, I already have a mischievous little she-demon that occupies most of it, now let us go and get some ice-cream."
Rena appeared to be over-joyed, jumping to her feet and twirling around in excitement. The ice-cream was an added bonus on top of being relieved at the fact her cherished partner had not been saddened, for if he had 'Innocense' would have surely fallen, again.
-Beep beep beep beep beep-
"What is that infernal sound?" Angel grumbled while massaging his eyebrows, he couldn't help but think this was karma weaving her thread of misfortune. First his leisurly evening was ruined at Ourosboros, then he was whisked away onto a demonic sky machine, had to endure a most irritating individual and now this.
"Your waistcoat....pocket, the smartphone," Reri replied in a tone strikingly distinct from that of Rena. While Rena's tone always appeared to brimming with life and vigor, right now her tone appeared to lack any sense of emotion, a blunt monotone. Her expressions also ran parallel with her voice. Her face was a blank slate, cold and expressionless with eyes akin to that of a dolls', soulless. Anyone who has had any past experience with the Ante Mortem would know, this was not Rena.
"Ah yes, that wretched thing. Thank you Rin, I see you are finally awake," the Lost Number greeted the second half of his partner as his hands fumbled around in his pockets in order to find the mobile device until finally the contraption was opened and the message visible.
"Absolutely devine..."
"Troubling?" The Chrono replied in her usual cold tone while wearing her stoic expressions, even so she knew whenever her partner would say that exact phrase, it often meant bad news.
Angel couldn't help but chuckle; poking fun at his own bad luck, amused at the hand which fate had dealt him. "Starting effective immediately, the Overseer assigned to Ante Mortem has been suspended and replaced with Zak Halls," An irked Angel slowly read the message out loud along with the profile of the new nuisance.
"Conditioning Morty....was cumbersome....repeating the process will be....cumbersome." Rin appeared to share her brother's lack of excitement over this new development.
"I suppose we can greet our new 'headache' on our way to the Cafeteria. Let us introduce ourselves," Angel couldn't help but smirk while nodding along with his partner. "Agreed," both had brewed the very same plot.
------Xx-------xX------
The outsiders and the bystander
“Have a good day!”
Angel observed Zak say those words to an ecstatic Morty and walk out, however the young lad would only find the Ante Mortem standing outside the door, blocking his exit.
"And are you having a good day, boy?" Angel crowed as the towering man, often associated with death incarnate, stood in front with a fiendish smile. Right beside Angel stood A.M.R.O's very own princess, Rin. Her calculative and stoic gaze coldly observing the man in front of her, her mismatched eyes giving her an almost otherworldly allure.
"I have come to understand that you will be our new Overseer, and from your file you seem quite competent and quite bothersome," the silver spectacled reaper calmly scrutinized the child that stood in front of him.
"Maintain...limits, the threshold....is thin 'Twenty Seven'," Rin concluded, her words precise as if a cold blade pinned against one's neck.
"To elaborate on what my partner stated," Angel casually continued from where Rin concluded; the Chrono merely walking away, believing enough time had been wasted on a worm. "You see we enjoyed our privacy, that is before Tabion decided to interfere. Now I understand with your position comes a degree of diplomatic immunity, I can however dispute the validity of that claim. All Chrono have the right to 'Parlay', do you know what that is boy?" The Lost Number mused, his hand gently resting atop Zak's shoulder and silently gesturing the boy to walk with him.
"It is a form of a 'right' which allows Chronos to create specific zones which are deemed neutral. For example, you have Jacquelin's prison or the Oruosboros. Tabion, that crafty snake, he made the Overseers and through some loophole you are his Parlay." The Crimson Asylum could not help but smile in disgust, regardless of the validity of Tabion's parlay, the play was brilliant and Angel couldn't help but respect that.
"My point, boy, is that do not believe you are untouchable and know when to close your eyes. Neutrality only extends to those within A.M.R.O," with this point Angel had delivered his finale and all that remained was the curtain call. "Here is an interesting fact Zacharias, the Overseers have the highest probability of assassination from rogues as opposed to any other specialized Asylum field. Why is that?"
With that Angel knew the metaphorical spotlights had just been extinguished and so with a polite wave, the demon and the princess casually walked away into the Cafeteria but not before giving Zak a message, “Have a good day!”
------Xx------xX------
The banshee is the harbinger of death and the Reapers are its catalyst
"How is the Gelato?" Angel asked as he leaned back on his seat, his face staring at the ceiling while his finger tips tapped the frame of his glasses in a strange melody.
"Adequate, does the air-craft...still discomfort you?" The Chrono replied, even though her words appeared to show concern her tone remained as cold and deadpan as ever. Her hetrosemmetrical eyes instantly spotting a rather rowdy group of Asylums behind them. Rin was aware of her partner's habitat, the tapping of his spectacle frame almost always signaled the Lost Number contemplating something sinister. As Rin continued to monitor the group, she noticed a single individual who appeared to be the loudest of the lot and extremely obnoxious.
"Yea that's right, I totally destroyed that warehouse. All the rogues were fucking weakling, I was hoping at least one would give me a challenge, but nada." The obnoxious Asylum gloated while in front of a swarm of aspiring students, all hearing his tales with gleaming eyes. "They are insects compared to us, you get strong enough and killing a rogue is child's play, I mean I even offered to give them a handicap and close my eyes, but the idiots refused and well after that, I just tore them to pieces." He continued, taking small gaps to laugh and drink beer before continuing once more.
All the while the Asylum reveled in his deeds of valor, Angel maintained his posture the only difference being the pace of the tapping against his spectacle frames. "Give a worm a stinger and it will rise above it's kind, but it is still a worm.....how easy it is to forget your place." Angel mused, mumbling out loud while staring up.
"But my dudes, that wasn't even the best part. In the basement I found at least six children. Those rogue filth were hiding their spawns and actually thought we would miss them!" The Asylum laughter roared throughout the cafeteria as a wretched smile slowly spread across his face.
"Did you kill them?" One of the students asked while gulping in the anticipation of the answer.
"Did...I..kill them? Where is the fun in that!" He suddenly exclaimed, frightening the student who had asked the question. While the Asylum enjoyed the attention of a large crowd of students, Angel's once relaxed position had become slightly tensed. His back was now upright and his fists clenched while he wore an expression quite similar to Rin's, completely blank and emotionless.
"You want to know what I did? I gave those five itty bitty children.....a choice. I told them there was a way for them to live, that they didn't need to be skinned alive.....but there was a problem." As the Asylum spoke, his wretched smile only continued to grow and spread across his face, bearing his teeth. "The problem was that only one of them could survive or all would have to die.....and just like that those innocent children turned into a pack of ravenous wolves, tearing through each other. With their pathetic alchemic skills, they hacked and tore and scorched through each other until four of them lay there.....DEAD.....it was disgusting.....limbs....organs....damn it was messy." By the tone with which he told the story, the Asylum felt great pride in his work, it was apparent all over his face. Self gratification.
"What about the kid who survived?" Came another reply from one of the students, his face hidden among the peers.
"Oh I opened the door for him and let him go, the kid ran like a goat. A pity 'someone' had dug a stake pit, I am pretty sure that kid is still there in the ground with a pike up his ass!" As soon as vile Asylum finished his punch line, he couldn't help but laugh hysterically.
"Filth....filth.....filth...filth," Angel slowly muttered, his clenched fists drawing blood as his expression slowly warped into that of a face of a demon, a smile that would make the Asylums' seem innocent and an aura that exuded blood lust, which poisoned the air. For a split second, every person present in the cafeteria could feel it, like an ice cold blade, ever so slowly, slipping inside you.
"Angel...stop," Rin almost instantly snapped her partner out of his 'Crow' state. A concentrated blow of gravity hitting Angel, resulting in him being pinned to his exact location, subsiding his toxic aura before anyone could take notice. "They require a reason, they want you out...we both know that. Maintain composure or you jeopardize us both."
With those words, realizing he had to keep Rin safe, Angel regained his usual 'devil may care' attitude. "Fine, I still think that man should be a blood stain on the wall," the Lost Number scoffed while suppressing his wrath.
In that very instant, Angel and Rin's gaze appeared to meet with the Banshees who had just arrived in the Cafeteria. Even though their arrival missed the tale of the obnoxious Asylum, their arrival seemed to be a serendipitous encounter.
"The Celtic Queens," Angel crowed, giving the two ladies a little bow before gesturing them to take a seat on the VIP table.
"Fifty two and Twenty One, moderately efficient tools," Rin replied in her usual manner, not bothering to take the effort to look at the duo, believing her words to be more courtesy than they could achieve in a life time.
"I am assuming you ladies are slightly inconvenienced, it is understandable seeing as you have been on multiple mind numbing missions. This air-craft does't have much to offer in regards to youthful leisure now does it?" The Lost Number couldn't help but jest, hoping to break the ice. His entire demeanor a kin to a merchant preparing his client for a barter.
"I could offer you a future solution, for a little favor of course," slowly and tactfully the Reaper drew close to his end game, his silver spectacles shimmering eerily. "I believe Maeve, you would enjoy this quite a lot. Do you see that rather irksome individual behind us, the Asylum who can't stop laughing and bullying the students. Could you possibly go there and punch him, just hard enough so that he need to go into the fish-tank but make a relatively prompt recovery? I would do it, but politics and all that....where as if you do it, my partner can override any foreseeable consequences." As Angel spoke his hands slowly appeared to delve into the pockets of his waistcoat in order to present the two with their payment, two strange gold coins with numerous carvings and the insignia of the Ourosboros engraved in it, a viper eating it's own tail.
"I am sure you both know about the Ourosboros, I mean it is all over and the drinks there, well they are to die for. But that is just one level, there is so much more. The rumor goes the coin of Ourosboros is offered to those that pay in currency or in favor. You will find all the world's sins and debauchery, all at your footstep for one entire day. One coin....one day with endless possibilities." As Angel concluded his pitch, he calmly placed a finger each on top of the coins and slid them towards the Banshees.
"Let's be friends"
Konan375
Fallenreaper
