Asher Bharrant
Inferno
Morning
Quickly Sen dragged Asher out of his own house, and the girl left behind could hardly be in a worse situation.
Being used by Julius, broken by Asher, terrified by Sen and who knows what effect Mattias will have on her. One would almost feel pity for her.
Almost.
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"Hey if it were up to me I'd never want to be between those two again. I'm aware what those two can do when they go at each other."
"Oh? Is that true?" Sen raised an eyebrow at his words. "Frankly speaking, just being in the general vicinity and getting out intact when those two go at it is a good feat."
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"But if Julius is involved there's a chance that Lust and the Witch can "accidentally" bump into each other. You said it yourself, Julius didn't invite Mattias over, which suggests he didn't want him there for a reason..."
"Hmm... That isn't really something I considered. Or rather, not even Julius is insane enough to deliberately set off a powder keg like that... at least that's what I would have assumed prior to his recent attack. I do think that he probably just wanted to use force to make the various factions act the way he wanted to, and force isn't something that would work against Mattias. Like trying to fistfight a wildfire, you know? However that would also mean as beneficial as Mattias might be, he could also end up being a complication for Julius... Hmmm..."
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"I'm sure I'm not the only one that realizes that the best way of distracting my newest friend is by manipulating Mary, so I need to keep that in mind. I don't know these people, but Julius doesn't sound like the type to honor conditions or grudges. But since you're telling me this, I'll refrain from discussing her anywhere near Mattias."
"I never said this, but those two are actually rather similar in certain ways. Trying to manipulate Mary is just as risky and dangerous as attempting it with Mattias. If Julius is willing to go that far... there has to be a reason he's taking such risks. Assuming of course he does that."
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"I prefer living uncooked anyway."
Sen laughed.
"And that's the reason I never said that. Honestly, don't worry that much. He's actually more of a passive person, barring his one trigger. Even if you push a few buttons, you'll probably still be safe enough.
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"...So uhm, Sen. Where are you taking me? This isn't just to take me away from Mattias is it?"
"What? Of course the primary reason was to get you away from Mattias. This isn't exactly the kind of conversation we could have in his presence after all. Beyond annoying him, it would be really awkward. In other words, it'd be a pain. This way makes things much simpler."
It really did appear that Sen pulled Asher out on this walk for such a simple, straightforward reason.
"With that being said, you should probably be compensated for having such a troublesome task dumped on you. Here, catch."
Sen casually reached into her pocked and tossed a brown cloth bag at Asher. Asher was taken slightly aback at the fact that it was heavier than it seemed.
"That's probably about... a few weeks worth of the average salary in this parts. Consider it an advance. And now let's go get some food."
Once again, without even waiting for Asher to respond, she marched off, with full expectation that Asher would follow.
Asher Bharrant
Inferno
Afternoon
Sen ended up leading him to a place he had never been before, but it seemed like she was quite the regular. The staff politely led them to a private room, filled with lavish and gaudy decorations, far away from the common area. Asher's eyes widened a bit at the prices, but then again with his recent infusion of funds, money probably wouldn't be a problem. Sen quickly listed some dishes to a nearby staff, then leaned back in her chair and kicked her legs onto the table as Asher read through the menu.
"Food here's pretty good. Eating is one of the pleasures in life after all. Order whatever you want, it's my treat."
She seemed to be in a pretty good mood. A wary thought crossed Asher's mind.
Considering the job he (was sort of forcibly) hired for, this could very well end up being his last meal.
Theola August
Inferno
Morning
Quote:
“But I’m not quite satisfied yet. If there is only one more question I can ask, then...”
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“… is there a reason you chose to do this little game with me? I am just a regular member of the force- I can’t see why you would be interested in my answers in particular.”
Nameless laughed at Theola's final question.
"Is that it? That's the simplest question yet. First of all, there's no need for you to be so modest, captain. You're a hero who helped escort Leona to safety. You even managed to subdue an assassin that had been sent after her, and not just any ordinary assassin. A devil contractor at that."
Nameless pointed towards Theola.
"That doesn't exactly seem like regular member of the force material to me. Sounds like someone special worth getting to know."
She brought her hands up and formed a rectangle with her fingers, as if she was taking a picture of Theola.
"Besides that, I wanted to see what the person I heard so much about was like. I didn't actually expect the captain I ran into to be 'The Theola August'."
"Your boss had a lot to say about you when she heard I was heading down. Or I suppose she's your former boss now. Right, I was supposed to pass on a message for you."
"Miss Skye gives her regards, and wants you to know that she has her utmost faith in you. Or rather, of course she would, otherwise she wouldn't have recommended you succeed her. Hahaha"
It was a bit uncertain as to whether that laugh was part of the message, or something that Nameless added herself, but that wasn't the part that took Theola by surprise. It was the fact that her former captain seemed to know Nameless. But she wasn't given much time to press further, as Nameless stood up.
"Okay, it's time to go."
Theola August
Inferno
Afternoon
It took a bit longer than expected to make it over to headquarters from the diner. It seemed like the meeting had just about wrapped up as the two of them made their way in.
The chief caught sight of her and raised his voice in a mixture of annoyance, anger, and disappointment.
"Theola! You're late! Where were you, you missed the entire-"
"My apologies, but Theola was with me. The responsibility is with me." Nameless smoothly interrupted him.
"...and who are you supposed to be?" The chief said, eyeing Nameless with suspicion.
Just then, Loki exited the door behind the chief. "Are you finally here, miss Theo-"
The moment she saw who Theola was standing next to, she froze, and her eyes widened.
"You" It was a single word, spoken sharply with a tinge of animosity. It was a glimpse into another side of Loki that Theola had never seen before.
"Hi, Leona. Glad to see you're doing well." In contrast, Nameless spoke to the councilwoman rather cheerfully.
"I see. I was wondering about the strike force showing up, considering I never requested it. So them showing up was your doing. Or maybe you just took advantage of it to come down to Inferno."
"Your tone is pretty hurtful you know," replied Nameless with no indication that she was feeling hurt. "I was only doing my job. Besides, things worked out in the end, didn't it? Thanks to the strike force being deployed, we were able to greatly reduce the amount of damage and casualties. Isn't that a good thing."
"You might be right there," Loki conceded. "Still..."
She glared at Nameless as she thought to herself for a few moments.
"While this is unexpected, I might just require your assistance after all. Head over to my residence and await me there. This is an order. Do you understand?"
Nameless bowed. "My job is to provide assistance to the council after all. I hear you and obey."
She stood up and turned to Theola. "It was nice meeting you. Maybe we'll even meet again someday." With those parting words, she turned around, and left the building.
The moment Nameless was out of sight, Loki visibly relaxed, as if a giant tension had vanished from her body.
"Who was that and what just happened?" The chief asked Loki, confused.
"It's probably not a good idea to discuss this out here. Let us go back to the meeting room. You're coming with us as well, Theola. Considering what happened, there are some things that will probably need to be clarified. From both sides."
Loki spoke, pointing at Theola.