Vincent Price's Story

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Satan Azrael

There was a certain man who sat on his throne, with his back slouched and an incredibly bored face that held a faint smirk on the corners of his lips. The way he sat on the throne gave off the idea that he was an arrogant and cocky bastard who owned the whole place. The first part was untrue of course but the latter couldn’t be further from it. You see the man, no the demon, who sat on the throne was none other than Azrael, a Superior Demon who was now Satan of the world he lived in that was known by many as Hell but by its inhabitants, Inferno.

Before him sat the Three Pillars of Hell, two of whom were Princes, who were currently at war with one another and a Princess, who was rather young and the first female in a very long time. Azrael rolled his eyes at his potential successors and couldn’t help but allow his thoughts to wonder to his daughter and the report he would be receiving towards the end of the day of her. He was glad his most trusted servant, Cerbin had agreed to watch over his daughter sixteen years ago but he feared the idea of her powers awakening especially at this point in age.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Azrael allowed his mind to wonder once again but this time deeper into the past. In his mind’s eye, he saw the woman he fell in love with. It surprised even him that he could have actually fallen in love; after all he represented the sin of Lust. She was quite the beautiful woman back then, with her long flowing locks that cascade down her small waist in silvery curls and those knowing green eyes that almost seemed to look right through you. When he first saw her eyes, a chill had gone down his back and once again even now a chill crept down his spine. His smirk exchanged itself for something akin to a smile but it was different than what most have seen. It was a loving smile unlike his others that showed his predatory cunning and lust. But now after all these years he was no longer the demon he once used to be.

He became more like a man who had settled down permentantly with his family, thinking this Azrael snorted. I have no family, my wife is presumed dead and my daughter is beyond my reach. shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, Azrael straighten a bit in his seat and cleared his throat to gain the attention of his Princes. However two of them were focused on bettering the other in a war of words while the youngest simply sat like her sin described itself as. Rolling his eyes, Azrael cleared his throat again but once again was ignored. Now it was starting to get to him as he glared at the pair who continued to ignore their king. “Enough! By that is tainted, enough with your arguments. There are things that need to be discussed.”

This seemed to have caught their attention and a cruel smile formed on his lips. “Good, now onto the topic at hand. The rifts have opened after nearly 500 hundred years of them being sealed by that damn woman those angels call a Goddess. It seems the lesser demons are being summoned once more by the humans again and they are getting caught up in their wars. Not that it matters much to seeing as they are merely lesser demons but a few have gotten loose form their tamers and before they make things worse between us. I would think one of you three would have sent someone to catch them and bring them back. But I guess I have to do everything on my own.”

His short speech now being over, he looked at the Princes awaiting their own reports from their Circles. Knowing his mentee, Chikyu probably had things under control. Just as his appearance spoke of himself, his actions added back up to his rough looks. The younger demon was quite the savage when it came to dealing with those who didn’t follow his orders but unlike those who held the title in previous years. Chikyu didn’t flaunt it to get what he wanted, something that Azrael very much appreciated but that also meant that Chikyu often took matters into his own hands and punish those who went against his however he pleased. He rubbed the bridge of his nose again as an oncoming headache began to form. He took a sip from the wine that was set on a table beside his throne and he felt like he was forgetting something, something that hung at the back of his mind, almost like a nagging mother. Azrael simply pushed it back and ignored it. Little did he know the source of his power, the Relic, was giving him a warning. A warning that meant in the next few days everything he had done to make sure his daughter released her power under the guidance of her guardian was all for naught.

Bavol

---

I wonder how long Mister Satan plans to keep us here. I don‘t really enjoy being kept in one place for long… not whilst still being awake at least. I can‘t complain can I? Not without feeling his wrath most likely. I suppose a nap is most definitely out of the question…

The young girl sat obediently though her thoughts were elsewhere. With an ever-so-common lethargic slump in her slight stature her eyes were clearly struggling to keep awake whilst she attempted rather feebly to focus on the looming figure in front of her - that figure of course being Satan; their leader and ruler of Inferno who had summoned the three demons before him presently. With the faintest motioning of her shoulders her long frozen mane of white layers of hair flowed effortlessly downwards to the tips of her waist and beyond, clinging to her sides like a winter blanket and delicately tickling the open areas of flesh that she allowed to be shown and causing the young demon to smile quietly to herself.

The young demon in question of course was Bavol; The Princess of Air. Unlike many before her, she was the first female to hold a title in a very long time. And even more surprising the demon from whom she had obtained the title from was no other than her very own father - the former Prince of Air - Io.

Beside Bavol sat the other two princes; The Prince of Earth and The Prince of Fire. The pair never seemed to see eye to eye nor did it feel as if they ever wished to make peace between themselves. The curious female could not help but wonder as to why the two demons always acted this way. Intriguingly it was as if the two males never tired from their arguing. However regardless of their relentless quarreling Bavol sat almost oblivious to the entire thing - her mind trailing around elsewhere as usual and unaffected by all of that which took place round about her in the actual world.

I wonder how Yeu is amusing himself. I cannot imagine this is any more enjoyable for him than it is for myself. Pity. I so truly wanted to cause mischief today. Of all days, especially today. I had a special plan set out and everything… it would have been fun to just relax for once, me and Yeu. He really needs to chill out more - Oh the joys of seeing such a sight!

Bavol gave a slight pout in response to her thoughts, carefully tapping playfully at her chin as a gradual smile crept onto her pale face. Though being one of the Three Pillars of Hell she acted like any other juvenile demon and such behaviour often caused some to question her role as the Princess of Air. Upon hearing Satan clearing his throat twice - a bid no doubt to gain the three demons attentions - the young demon raised her weakened eyes slightly to gaze at their leader.

I‘m beginning to wonder what this is all about. Are we being punished? Ooh, perhaps rewarded instead. We have been good Princes and Princess, have we not? Well... that could be a tricky question.

A moment later Satan spoke, “Good, now onto the topic at hand. The rifts have opened after nearly 500 hundred years of them being sealed by that damn woman those angels call a Goddess. It seems the lesser demons are being summoned once more by the humans again and they are getting caught up in their wars. Not that it matters much to seeing as they are merely lesser demons but a few have gotten loose form their tamers and before they make things worse between us. I would think one of you three would have sent someone to catch them and bring them back. But I guess I have to do everything on my own.”

The rifts are opened… after almost 500 years it has finally happened? No wonder Mister Satan brought us here.

Bavol thought quietly to herself as she keenly listened to what the elder demon had to say. Of course it began to feel more like a slight telling-off than anything else towards the end of his short speech - the young demon unable to suppress the displeasured pout that curved on her lips.

”I‘m sorry Satan.” She said politely though without much thought at first - an attempt at an apology to their leader without actually meaning to voice it. Then again such a thing was expected from Bavol, out of the three demons at least. The girl slowly glanced over to the two princes whilst her voice grew faint, awaiting for either of them to speak up.

A moment later she continued, ”Well I can safely assure that nothing new has arisen within my circles. Everything is ship-shape, as they say. I put it all down to my faithful subordinate Yeu, he does his job ever so well~” The girl giggled in a rather joyfully manner as an evident sense of pride hung on her every word when mentioning her loyal follower; Yeuri.

Yeuri

---

Yeu sat rather patiently beside his master, really not paying any attention to those around him. He sat with one leg rested on the platform right below him, the other allowed to bend and settle fully on the ground. He was more focused on cleaning the small blade he always kept on him. It was a pleasant nuisance, really, the way it seemed to dull because of the amounts of dried blood sticking to the edge. A wicked smirk played along his lips as he ran his thumbnail along the crusted material, breaking it up and allowing little flecks of blood to drift down to the ground.

How many had it been the previous day with just this small weapon? Usually it was his faithful Twins that took the position of corrector, and yet he had still found time enough to use the smaller one as well. Some work just couldn’t be done by large means, especially if that work was meticulous and detailed. A wicked gleam sparked in his eyes as he reminisced of those who produced the corrupt substance that dulled his weapon.

However, quite often would Yeuri shift his attention first to Bavol, to ensure her comfort, and then to the two princes who bickered with one another. Their hatred towards one another was probably one of the most entertaining things to be experienced, ranked up in his list of enjoyment beside death and mischief. It was truly amazing the things they found to snarl and snap at each other over, and Yukon had to admit, he found a twisted pleasure in observing it. But that was only to be expected, what with the destructive seed that flourished within him.

Yukon, having thus since cleaned his blade during his observations, brought his thumb to his lips and ran his tongue along the nail to dispose of the dried blood flecked there. The familiar metallic taste met his senses, and he smirked with satisfaction, soon pocketing the blade and leaning back on his hands to observe the Ruler of Inferno with lazy, uncaring eyes.

The man truly was a piece of work- his attitude, his attire, his body language. Had he not called them here to discuss matters? Yet, he merely sat upon his throne and occasionally glanced at them, as if they actually had the time to waste on him.

’I could be pinning the writhing bodies of the disobedient underneath the heel of my boot, ready to part flesh with the cold sting of metal and watch their life’s liquid pool because of my hand, watch it drip and stain their skin, see it roll desperately to please me, and all the while they whimper and beg for their sorry hides. Beg for mercy which I will never give them.... But instead I’m stuck here at the beck and call of our Satan, probably whining about something or other and blaming Bavol for that which she had no part of.’

At his thought's mention of Bavol, his gaze once more shifted to her form. She seemed bored, much like he was at the moment, and he so wished to dispel such an annoying plague from both of their minds. If Satan didn’t speak up soon, Yeuri might actually risk his own life to get this show on the road.

However, he did not need to, as soon Azrael snapped at both Princes, causing them both to cease in their verbal abuses. He must have gotten tired of them. ’Pity, I don’t understand how one could tire of such assault.’ A subtle frown almost made its way to his features as he thought on the complication, but as always, he kept up that lazy smirk of his, though his eyes were sharp and keen.

Finally getting to the point, Satan began to inform them of just why they were here. ”The rifts have opened after nearly five-hundred years of them being sealed," Yeu merely snorted derogatively, ’Bound to happen sometime.’

”It seems the lesser demons are being summoned once more by the humans, and they are getting caught up in their wars,” Yeu’s attention shifted up a notch at the mention of the lesser demons causing havoc, and he sat up from his previously reclined position. He tapped his fingers against his knee, waiting eagerly for the point to come across.

”Not that it matters much, seeing as they are merely lesser demons, but a few have gotten loose from their tamers…” ’Big shock there.’

”…And before they make things worse between us I would think one of you three would have sent someone to catch them and bring them back. But I guess I have to do everything on my own.”

Yeuri found the update rather lacking, ending with Satan’s derogative tone towards the three pillars. Irritation flared internally within Yukon, he didn’t think it proper to blame any of the three, especially Bavol, when it was the man’s own fault that things were so bad between the worlds. As to his comment about getting things done himself and thus insinuating he go to Earth, Yeu couldn’t help a cruel grin from appearing upon his lips. ’Well, that seems right up your alley, what with all the mischief you’ve stirred up already.’

Despite Yeu’s somewhat harsh observations of the man, in all honesty, he didn’t mind the current Satan, as it meant his life remained unchanged. The only thing that caused him to follow this mindset was when it did interrupt his daily routine, and especially if Bavol was concerned.

”I‘m sorry Satan.” At the soft voice of his master, Yeu’s attention immediately snapped towards her. However, after processing her words, a soft ‘tch’ parted his lips. It was like Bavol to do that, but she shouldn’t have even bothered. By saying that, it was like she was admitting she had done wrong and deserved the wrath and down-talk from Azrael, when it was more than clear that was not the case.

She went quiet, and Yeu tilted his head to glance over the two princes, expecting them to say something as well. However, when that did not happen immediately, Bavol spoke up once more, ”Well I can safely assure that nothing new has arisen within my circles. Everything is ship-shape, as they say. I put it all down to my faithful subordinate Yeu, he does his job ever so well~” Despite the obvious praise and pleasure within his master’s voice, Yukon’s face did not change into that of a grin to display his reaction towards such words, nor did he shift his posture. However, as attention was bound to be drawn to him, his lips pressed into a dark, challenging smirk, and his eyes narrowed harshly at those who glanced at him, daring them to question the truth of her words.

Chikyu

As always Chikyu did his best to ignore the demon across from him, of course being one of little patience, at least towards him anyways, Chikyu had trouble focusing on his mentor. The great Satan of Inferno, it was only because of Azrael that he had yet to kill the Prince of Fire. However his patience soon ran out and he snapped at the other Prince after a while the two had gotten into a heated debate trying to belittle the other to the point Chikyu had forgotten what it was he had snapped at him for.

Not that it mattered really, soon enough he felt the atmosphere in the room change but took little notice of it. That is until Satan yelled at them to quiet down which was accompanied by a glare. Chikyu flinched in way that it was almost unnoticeable if you weren’t paying close attention to him. Glancing down, the Prince of Earth sat back in his seat and looked back up just in time to see the cruel smile on Satan’s lips. A smile pinched the corners of his lips at the sight, to think he’d find it amusing to see us stop in fear after bickering. Shaking his head, Chikyu leaned forwards to make it seem more like he was listening.

Listening to his short speech, Chikyu couldn’t help but let his mind wonder a bit about what the human world was like. Never having gone himself, seeing as all the rifts had been closed for the majority of his life, he had been too young when they were open. Not that he really cared for visiting such a place. Bringing his attention back to the matter at hand he thought back on what had happened the past while since his last report to Satan concerning his Circles. Nothing eventful happened since then but the news on lesser demons running rampant wasn’t anything new and he unlike his mentor, Chikyu didn’t really care much for the human world but he respected his mentor’s ideals.

Releasing a sigh, Chikyu turned his attention to the youngest of the Three Pillars who spoke up with an apology. Raising his brow he never expected her to say such a thing as it wasn’t really something a Prince or a Princess did when around Satan. Then again who was he to say, he had very little interaction with the girl demon and considering the Sins she represented he didn’t really feel like getting to know her. This was further proved by the fact that, from she herself just said, she lets her subordinate do all the work.

Pfft what a lazy woman, I hardly ever leave Astaroth to deal with things, knowing him, he’ll probably take things to the extreme more so than I would. And while on the topic of subordinates, Chikyu looked over at the Princess of Air’s right hand man, or demon really, I believe it started with a Y, something complicated maybe. The demon held a challenging smirk on his lips, something that irked Chikyu to a degree. So in return he sent a cold glare at the younger demon before returning his gaze to rest upon his leader.

“Mm that’s good to hear Princess, that you leave important matters to your subordinate. Anyhow very little has happened within my Circles and when something did occur I took dealt with it personally.” After saying this he glanced over at the Princess of Air before continuing. “I’ll make sure to send someone to round up those ugly little bastards so no need to take it upon yourself to deal with it. That’s what we’re here for correct?” The question was one that needn’t be answered and Satan knew this so he merely sent a nod of acknowledgement towards him.

Judging by the casual air hanging over this meeting, seats set before the throne while the one on it allowed himself to be lost in thought, Astaroth doubted anything of interest was going to be coming to light this day. As it was safe enough to say that he would not be addressed directly, and the idea of cramming into a seat next to everyone else was particularly unpleasant, Astaroth stayed standing a few paces behind the seating arrangement. Hanging from his neck, a living scarf of black and white, his python-like familiar Iaculus provided him vague entertainment in the irritating wait for Azrael to speak. He was counting the passing time based on the number of times that the snakes black tongue flicked out of its mouth, 172…173…, when finally the man spilled his words.

Mention of the rifts piqued his attention, and for a time he actually bothered resting his muddy eyes on Azrael, but as the true reason for this meeting was revealed, Astaroth let his eyes wander once more to find something of greater interest. The frustration he felt was expressed in a breath louder than his normal, but nothing loud enough to draw attention from anyone but his snake companion. The strongest demons of Inferno have been summoned for pest control… Astaroth had no understanding of why it even mattered if a few petty demons were to trouble the humans. If they summoned them and could not control them, then they deserved whatever they got.

Paying the slightest bit of attention, in case things took a turn for the significant, Astaroth observed the Princess Bavol spilling words both humble and happy. She was odd, though nothing too irritating. Although it seemed that her treatment of her subordinate had fed pride into his mind – or so Astaroth thought from the man’s expressions and his earlier brandishing of a bloody weapon. Astaroth wondered if such treatment over enough time would end up inflating the man’s head to a point that he believed himself great and destroyed the one he served. Now that would be interesting.

Pacing slightly closer to where Chikyu sat, Astaroth cast aside thoughts of those who were of little consequence to him. The rulers could do as they wished, all that really held significance for him was the rifts. For sixteen years they had been spreading, since that child was born, and Astaroth was growing impatient of all this sitting around. He had expected the Satan to seize opportunities early and move to action, but of course he should not have expected so much. If things did not start to move soon, he would have to break ties and go on his own earlier than he had hoped. After all, the prophecy called and his brother was out there somewhere, waiting.

Running fingers over Iaculus’s smooth scales, Astaroth decided to have a bit more patience. It would be a nuisance to draw attention to himself too quickly. Now that he had considered it a bit more, he decided that this issue with lesser demons may not be a complete waste. At least they were considering in some degree dealing with Earth, and that was a start. Hopefully from there would come plans of more excursions into the neighbouring realm – maybe Azrael would even plan a battle strategy. A noise of mocking amusement was sounded aloud at the impossible thought.

Catching the tail end of Chikyu’s words to the Princess and seeing the Satan approve, Astaroth was relieved by the hope that this dull meeting would hopefully be over soon.

((GAH wrong place apologies))

In the war of words between politicians there was a tipping point where the conversation no longer became simple argument, but a heated debate, as if Inferno was not already hot enough, it seemed to increase in temperature as a not so quiet argument took place between rivals Chikyu and Vincent. This was a typical occurrence with every meeting that it would be seen as impolite to start trying to seriously maim one another. So both parties settled with trying to injure pride and cripple patience. A smirk lined Vincent's mouth as he hurled a particularly barbed insult at the supposedly unshakeable opponent. However, even the largest of rocks can cracked if hit precisely first, as Vincent observed with barely veiled amusement as Chikyu growled out an response of his own, followed by a triad of insults of his own. Presently, it seemed that Vincent absent-mindedness had come into play as the debate continued right in front of the demon who had called the meeting.


His eyes widened as an oppressive darkness curled around his throat in an invisible grip, silencing his voice as Azrael ordered for silence. His mouth immediately shut as he repressed a shutter as the man he called his lord formed a smile on his face. Sitting up on his own chair as his eyes blinked as his mind attempted to process the information given to it. It was alarming news to say the least, the rift reopening could be the least of Inferno's worries. It was even more concerning that lesser demons were able to free their leashes from the collars of the so-called Tamers. Adjusting his glasses as he heard himself be scolded like a destructive puppy who had chewed on its owners' prized shoes. Although, the most dog-like of the three Princes was Chikyu, so the analogy would fit him perfectly. Pushing aside the analogy, he mentally recollected any reports of lessor demons slipping from his sight.


Glancing towards his fellow Princes..well Princess as even the sloth-like girl stirred from her sleep to trill out a humble apology and reassure with sugary words that everything was perfect in her own Circles. Even throwing a word of praise toward, who was now seemed to now take it upon himself to glare daggers at anyone who dared challenge the word of his Mistress.As the piercing glare reached Vincent who merely rolled his eyes at the over-protective bodyguard. An audible sigh escaped Vincent as he listened to Chikyu promise to make sure that Satan would not even have to lift a finger in the recapturing of the lesser demons. Running a hand through his hair as he cleared his throat "That is all fine and dandy Chikyu, please do everyone proud and send some of your dogs after an unknown group of lesser demons to bring your eternally strong fists down upon..". His words dripped with sarcasm at the end before speaking once again "I propose a less-risky mode of recapture, we will each send scouts to collect data on said lesser demons and then formulate a plan to reduce the risk of severely injuring the escapees as well as our own men. Besides, it's not any fun punishing others if they are dead..".


Placing his fingers to his lips as a shrill whistle came through his fingers an excited yelp responded as a massive silver-coated Jackal sped around the corner of his Master's throne before planting himself before the chair, an almost statuesque creature were it not for the furious wagging of the creature's tail. Descending his own seat with impeccable elegance as Vincent fondly ran his fingers over the rings piercing the Jackal's large ears before bowing to Satan "I offer up Jackal as my contribution to this little search party. While I can assist in endeavor through my network of spies within my own Circles. Although I doubt it is lesser demons from my own Circle, a majority of those imbeciles would sell out one another to satisfy their lust for gold. Although I suppose Greed, is the least of our worries if we have men falling asleep on the job or ripping apart a suspect." His smirk returned as his words were clearly directed at the sleepy Princess and ill-tempered Prince. ~Pawns should have a will of their own..what does it matter if they to checkmate a knight~ Vincent thought as he rubbed a silver ring on his finger, awaiting Satan's final word on his plan.

Satan Azrael

He raised one brow at the Princess of Air’s apology, never in all his years has he ever heard a demon apologize. She is indeed one of a kind, that much I am sure of. The young demon’s behavior is quite odd really. And she suited her Sin’s quite nicely although so far he has only witnessed Sloth and he was curious as to what Envy was like. So she’s the type to leave it in the hands of her subordinates. I guess I won’t be able to rely on her in the late future.

He then turned his attention to said subordinate. The demon sent a challenging glare at those who sat in the room; Azrael dared him to send it his way, if he had a death wish that is. A smirk planted itself on his lips at how cocky Bavol’s subordinate was. It was Yeuri or something like that. Sitting up just a bit he decided to address the Princess’s words. “I see so you leave things to those around you to handle. I do hope this doesn’t become a problem later. And don’t think I didn’t notice your man, do make sure he is taught to know his place or I will” His words were cold and challenging yet they held a hint of tease in them.

Azrael was curious to what sort of reaction he would get from them, the both of them. It seemed Azrael wasn’t the only one to think a bit about the Princess’s words. Azrael tilted his head to the side slightly hearing his mentee’s words and couldn’t help but give him a silent bravado in his mind. His eye’s narrowed slightly at Chikyu’s question, seeing as it wasn’t really a question but more if a statement, Azrael sent a nod of acknowledgement his way.

His eye’s flickered towards Chikyu’s subordinate, Astaroth who made an odd sound. Sitting back, Azrael rested his cheek in his hand, looking down at the Three Pillars. A frown began to form on his lips once the Prince of Fire spoke his mind concerning what Chikyu had said. The demon’s idea was indeed better suited to the task at hand however he showed a bit too much concern for the lesser demons. “I care little for the lives of lesser demon’s Prince of Fire. They are nothing but animals only capable of destroying everything around them so there won’t be much point in trying to handle them carefully to avoid injuring them. They’re more likely to harm your men then you are to them.” He said with a matter of fact tone, his last few words were somewhat amusing. They showed a bit of his true character but he cared little for that.

The Prince of Fire brought his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle. In response to his whistle came a yelp of excitement and within moments a hound came running to plant itself at his master’s side. The creature was quite the sight however the wagging of his tail did little to help his image. Azrael rested his eyes on the Prince of Fire as he rose from his seat to run his hands across his familiar’s body before bowing down to him. His offer was quite nice and he couldn’t help but smile as he knew what his last words meant. “So you’ll offer up your familiar then.” Turning his gaze to the others, “ “And what of you two, what will you do seeing as I approve of the Prince of Fire’s plan.”

Chikyu sent a glare Vincent’s way before looking back up at Satan. “That is a good question. Well I obviously can’t send my own Familiar as he is simply too large. Why don’t I send in one of my men? Astaroth, do you want to go? If not I wouldn’t mind going to check up on a few things.” He looked over at his subordinate then back over at Azrael. “That’s fine, I really don’t care which of you goes but you’ll be restricted in what it is you can and cannot do.” “I am aware of that but it really depends on my subordinates answer.”

Bavol

---

At first Bavol sat rather bored with her eyes trailing around the dull scenery surrounding the demons, her attention on the matter at hand rapidly escaping to say the least. However upon hearing a voice interrupting her thoughts the young female slowly averted her eyes over towards the direction of Chikyu, and his subordinate Detritus, who from what she acknowledged had said something concerning her.

“Mm that’s good to hear Princess, that you leave important matters to your subordinate. Anyhow very little has happened within my Circles and when something did occur I took dealt with it personally.” He said and offered a mere glance to the girl. Bavol couldn’t quite tell if it was his words or stare that made her feel a little uneasy at that moment. The demons words were mocking, direct and evidently offered with intentions of causing a reaction.

What’s his problem? Why does he belittle me so?

Turning away briefly and offering nothing but silence in return Bavol sat somewhat anxiously as she perched on the edge of her seat. She hadn’t imagined how mentally straining it was to have to sit in the presence of Satan as well as the other two Princes. Whilst away with her thoughts once more the female could just vaguely hear some of what the other Prince had said.

He said something along the lines of, “…Although I suppose Greed, is the least of our worries if we have men falling asleep on the job or ripping apart a suspect."

Bavol pouted and narrowed her eyes just a tad. She could tell what he had meant and so desired to teach the ill-natured Prince a lesson or two though right now was not ideal. Not yet. Doing so would require effort which was in short supply just now, fortunately.

I‘m beginning to see why those two argue as often as they do. They‘re just as bad as each other only now it seems even I am not spared from their wickedness. How rude. Clearly the era of gentlemen is long since passed away.

Her legs had only just began to sway to a whimsical rhythm before coming to a steady halt as Satan then chose to voice his thoughts once more also to the demons. Uneasily her eyes focused on the higher up demon curiously to hear what he had to say to the young Princess. No doubt it wouldn’t be anything too heartfelt. Oh the joys of being a young Princess…

“I see so you leave things to those around you to handle. I do hope this doesn’t become a problem later. And don’t think I didn’t notice your man, do make sure he is taught to know his place or I will.” The grand demon said.

“My subordinate is my business! If one more demon talks ill of either him or myself once more I will not be as easily forgiving as I have been.” She said and slowly glanced over towards the two Princes. She had in every sense taken quite enough down talks from the pair of them for one meeting, and her kind nature was dwindling gradually as all could visibly see. Although Bavol was not quite as brave to stare so strongly and directly at Satan. She was not a complete idiot after all.

Satan continued with, “And what of you two, what will you do seeing as I approve of the Prince of Fire’s plan.”

”Ha! Satan you have no idea what sits before you, and to prove it I offer myself and, if he wants, Yeu to participate in this little adventure party!” The young girl declared with bold, though surprising confidence. ”After all I am the youngest here and have the most to prove. Surely you could not deny a young girl that, Satan?”

There’s no way I could possibly send Chi and Kaz up there on their own. Their not strong enough to manage without me and I don’t really want to send them anyway… Besides who‘s to say the humans aren‘t better company to that which I find myself in now?

Bavol turned her attention over to Yeu at that moment. Out of everyone there he was truly the only one to see any good in the girl and treat her with some respect and dignity. Which was more than could be said for the rest of the demons.

”What do you think Yeu, think it's worth it? Are you up for a little adventure with me?” A crafty smirk found it’s way onto her lips as a sneaky twinkle lit up in her eyes. However Bavol would not act without the trusty guidance of Yeu. Maybe the girl did tend to rely on him a little too much but with that said she would hardly change her habits so easily.

Among so many words - so many boring words - there was at least one here that he could rely on for a fleeting bit of amusement. It was always at least faintly enjoyable to see how the Prince of Fire would try to work insult into his words to bring down Astaroth’s own Prince of Earth. He listened with more attention than offered to most as Vincent spoke in hopes of catching such entertaining sharp words. The plan to go to Earth brought a crooked smile to his face. Finally… A useful idea. This would be the perfect opportunity, but it would be imperative that he became one of those who went.

Astaroth now had to observe the words of Azrael with more care. It was important to hear if this plan would be accepted. Relief comes upon hearing that it was. Taking note from the reprieve Azrael gives to the Prince of Fire for speaking gently of lesser demons that they were allowed to use deadly force on the errant creatures, Astaroth was liking this opportunity more and more. Trying not to kill unmanageable and useless things was an irritating waste of time. Just killing them would be much more efficient and allow him to slip away to seek his brother. His smile grew wider. Perfect. Looking down on Iaculus, he gave him a stroke on the head and spoke with a look in his eyes how things were suddenly looking up.

When Azrael questioned Chikyu on who would be offered from his side into this mission, the suspenseful anticipation of what the answer might be washes Astaroth’s smile away and leaves him tensed. If Chikyu chose someone else or a creature to take up the task, then he would be forced to voice out his desire to go, and that may cause them to ask for a believable reason for his interest. That could be an unpleasant challenge… Worries were laid to rest when Chikyu asked him if he would like to be the one to go. He smiled once more and replied to Chikyu, “I’ll go. It will be a simple mission and surely you have more important matters to attend to back in the circles.” His gaze travels momentarily to Azrael as he speaks of restrictions. Very well… Having parameters to try and work around would make it that much more enjoyable. Simplicity is far too dull.

Yeuri

---

From the attention the pair were receiving, Yeu couldn’t help but shake his head in the most subtle of manners with a crooked grin. They were so, so quick to overlook his Mistress. It was true that she left many a task to him, but he enjoyed it, and was more than eager to complete menial trifles for her. Besides, she shouldn’t have to be bothered with such foolishness. She had better things to do with her day.

His gaze was suddenly stolen by that of the Earth Prince, who sent him a frigid glare. Almost cheekily did Yukon respond, a quiet thrum in his vocals as he simply spared the man a rugged smirk and flashed a lazy wink in his general direction. Ah, he could care less about what the others thought about he or Bavol, as long as they didn’t get anywhere near her. In fact, the way they saw her now was exactly how he wanted it- other than the obvious disrespect- because in this way they did not expect her abilities in any shape or form. If they saw her as unimportant, that was fine by him, as it meant they would not be bothering her in any spectacular way.

“I see, so you leave things to those around you to handle. I do hope this doesn’t become a problem later. And don’t think I didn’t notice your man, do make sure he is taught to know his place or I will.” Despite the obvious complications of what Azrael had said, Yeu didn’t even blink as he was addressed. However, he wasn’t an imbecile, and when Satan finished his little note, Yeuri dipped his head to show subordination. However, his usual smirk was still plastered onto his lips.

Hypocrite.

He held his position for only a few moments before abandoning his gaze on Satan. A bored look tore across his features as Chikyu spoke up; his interest had already been dwindling to a small flicker before the man had decided to voice his opinion. As the words tumbled from the Pillar’s lips, Yeu’s gaze was already seeking out another muse.

He didn’t have to look far. Astaroth was, of course, close to the Earth Prince’s side. The man had been almost entirely silent during this whole exchange, doing little more than observing as Yeu himself was.

Content Neutrality was really the only thing that could aptly describe Yukon’s feelings towards the man- Neutrality only in the fact that both sides of his assumptions, good and bad, seemed to weigh equally, and Content because it wasn’t that important to get to know him other than calculating possible threats. Even at that, the man seemed comfortable enough in his current position- though that fact also made Yeuri wary of him.

While the gathering had rather turned into disappointment, both in the reasoning for it and the atmosphere surrounding it, Yukon did have to admit, it was a somewhat pleasant tangent from his normal routine to get to size up the hierarchy of hell, despite the fact he really did prefer to be elsewhere.

"I propose a less-risky mode of recapture….” Yeu’s focus snapped back to attention as Vincent proposed his own ideas. If ever the case, Yukon would certainly choose the First over the Third in any circumstance; Vincent seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and furthermore he had no subordinate that Yeu knew of. This fact alone only gave another layer to the puzzle-like mystery that was the Fire Prince- one that Yukon would love to tamper with to see exactly what made him tick.

However, the possibility of such a chance ever happening was almost laughable; he’d never have the time to bother with the man, nor was it a wise or probable idea to engage him without reason. Comparatively, Chikyu was pretty much an open book- his temper was obvious, and in such he tended to blurt out his thoughts, or that was how it seemed to be, anyway.

With the high pitched whistle that left the First Prince’s lips, Yeuri tilted his head up to watch the speeding form of a large jackal gallop to its master’s side. The creature was probably the main reason he took a liking to Vincent, as his own familiar was of the same species. Though, other than both familiars being jackals, the similarities ended rather abruptly there. The Prince’s had obvious size when compared to Gore, and there was also the difference in pelt color. Not to mention the Pillar’s jackal had so many stitches and wounds, it was quite unnerving to say the least.

As the Prince offered his companion for the job and downsized both Chikyu and Bavol, Yukon simply blinked and abandoned all thoughts on the man, soon turning back to look at Satan once more and see how he responded to the options presented.

Both were picked apart rather quickly, but in the end it seemed Vincent’s was the better choice. Yeu had little care for either, as long as a decision was made, and while Chikyu made point that he would send Astaroth if his subordinate decided to go, Yukon turned his gaze upon his own Mistress to see what she deemed was best.

”…I offer myself and, if he wants, Yeu to participate in this little adventure party!” He wasn’t surprised in the least to hear Bavol’s response, and a wicked smirk tugged at his lips. Sure, it was obvious the first reason why she wanted to go, but Yeuri knew her better than that, and he was more than eager to attend the job at her side.

As she turned her gaze to him, he met and returned it with a harsh, though good-natured grin. ”What do you think Yeu, is it worth it? Are you up for a little adventure with me?” The look in her eye only confirmed what he already knew, and he gave a short nod.

”If you go, I will remain at your side. Gore will keep watch of the circles and report anything amiss, to which will be dealt with on our return, should it please you to be so. There are also the others to reinforce your rules in the meantime.”

He looked forward to entering the realm of the humans with his Mistress at his side, and he knew that disposing of the Lessers was only one of the reasons to shift worlds. A lazy smirk and bright eyes accompanied his facials as he turned to eagerly see what Azrael had to say about it.

Boredom seemed to have entered Vincent's mind as his eyes glazed over as the declarations from his fellow Princes made, as well as instructions of who exactly would be joining the search party into the human world. Blinking lazily as the Princess declared her own being in the party with a shrill ”…I offer myself and, if he wants, Yeu to participate in this little adventure party!” and her silent underling merely consented with little protest. ~I doubt his little Princess would do much good in a combat situation anyway.. of course her little lapdog needs to assist~ Vincent thought with a smirk at the image of the prissy woman attempting to take charge of the expedition. As much as loathed the demon who would be ideally the best suited for a leader of the expedition, there truly was only one logical choice..Chikyu.

The demon was an arrogant, hot-headed, ridiculously brash and uncouth. Yet, there was a reason that Azrael kept him on a tight leash and within arms length, he knew how to get a job done in an efficient fashion with a few casualties as possible. Cocking his head to the side to rid himself of the tension in his neck, he merely nodded before declaring quietly "Well, if this is settled, I have my own little errand to run. Please send someone to notify myself when exactly this little search party is leaving for the human world, and I am sure Jackal would be most disappointed if he did not have any rabbits to chase after.." . Giving a deep bow toward the lord of Inferno and turning on his heel out of the throne room with a giddy Jackal loping after his Master with a undignified wagging of his tail.

The scent of dust began to fill the air as Vincent found himself in front an ancient looking door made of mahogany with a large crack in one of the panels. His tempered flared for a moment as he recalled the heartbreaking sound of wood cracking all those years ago when Chikyu came to 'protest' his appointment as the Demon Prince of Fire, the door was the first victim in his precious Library. A faint whine from Jackal snapped him out of his memories as he entered the door ever so gently applying pressure to the doors. The stiffness in his body that seemed attached to his title slowly began release as his shoulders sagged with a exhaustion one could get when dealing with morons. A content smile began to form on his face only vanish with a scowl as a resounding crash of metal echoed throughout the massive room.

Rounding the corner of one of the shelves, Vincent merely let out a sigh of irritation at the sight of one of his 'apprentices' on the floor scrambling in the hopes of hiding what was once a blade from a human legend. The metal seemed utterly lost to the world as it laid fragmented against the cold wood before it. A feminine whimper escaped the shaking figure's lips as it whispered " Please forgive my clumsiness sir, I was merely startled of the sound of the door opening". Removing the glasses from his face, Vincent cleaned them once with a cloth before placing them back..~Now what is this girl's name..Astrid..Amie..Anna?~. The girl dressed in a humble black dress and flats, her hair was a mousey brown in a messy bun. Ink stains dotted her fingers as it was one of duties of his assistants to transcribe the ancient writing that were around the place. "Never mind that..Astrid..there are other urgent matter I need for you to take care of.." Vincent said in a soothing voice as he sidestepped the mess and began walking toward the center of the room, past rows of sleeves lined with books. Astrid, followed silently, her face the expression of shock that her boss actually knew her name the sound of a bell ringing snapped her out of her trance.

Three similarly dressed women appeared from various directions of the library, nearly identical to the way of dress as Astrid aside from slight alterations in the clothing. The first was a smaller brunette in black heels who merely nodded at the silent command, none to stealthily glaring at Astrid. The second and third were twins, identical in everyday from their coal dresses to black flats, the only difference were the large bows forming a loose ponytail. Taking a seat behind his desk, Vincent merely pointed toward door of the Library "Red, see if you can do something about that unseemly crack in the entrance door. Silver, you are to stand and alert myself if anyone enters". A few moments of silence passed over as the twins nodded without a word. Now only two..well three if you count the sleeping Jackal by his Master's feet.

Leaning his face on his hands Vincent merely blinked at a flushing Astrid, with thousands of questions bubbling upon her lips. It seemed like the poor girl was about to explode as Vincent finally stood and leaned over the trembling girl "Now, why exactly were you handling that blade..my dear". The 'my dear' seemed to hint the threat of punishment..or a cat toying with a mouse.."Well sir, I". Her excuse was stopped by Vincent slammed his palms against the desk in frustration "Stop! I don't want to hear your excuses you stupid girl. Be grateful that was merely a replica and I know the reason you were startled." Astrid merely sat in the chair in front of the desk, wisely avoiding words to escalate the situation. Vincent merely leaned back against the desk muttering "Chikyu" under his breath..before throwing a pen and notebook towards the girl, who merely looked confused.

"You, my dear, as a punishment are going out to my Circles to collect information about any rumored escapes, plots, escapades etc about the human world. Now, go do this now before I change my mind.." Waving the girl away with a lazy hand, Vincent rolled his eyes at the silent implication that came with having four female assistants waiting on him hand and foot daily. It was a fair deal in his own mind, these women desired to have knowledge of the human world without having to leave the safety of Inferno through his books. A fair deal indeed, now the only question remained was of 'Who' broke out of Inferno. This would be a long work day..

Satan Azrael

“My subordinate is my business! If one more demon talks ill of either him or myself once more I will not be as easily forgiving as I have been.”

Azrael’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the spirited reaction from the Princess. A wicked smile crept along his lips as his eyes narrowed holding a cold light in them. I’ll have to teach her a few things later. Especially that tongue of hers, what an interesting little girl.

“Ha! Satan you have no idea what sits before you, and to prove it I offer myself and, if he wants, Yeu to participate in this little adventure party! After all I am the youngest here and have the most to prove. Surely you could not deny a young girl that, Satan?”

Once again she had surprised him with her words and her rising confidence. “You better watch your tongue girl. But you that’s where you’re wrong, why should I send someone who has no experience to lead this little adventure of yours? His voice was cold. The room seemed to get colder and heavy air of foreboding hung in the air. Azrael didn’t appreciate the fact that the Princess had cornered him with her words, it had been a long while since this happened.

“But seeing as your so eager to be a part of this I’ll let you lead. Just know I won’t take failure lightly, this isn’t one of your pretty little adventures. The same goes to your subordinate.” With that having been said, Azrael leaned back in his chair, his glare daring Bavol and Yeuri to say otherwise to his decision.

“I’ll go. It will be a simple mission and surely you have more important matters to attend to back in the circles.” Azreal simply glanced in the direction of Chikyu’s subordinate. Hmm I’ll have to them keep an eye on him. His gaze eventually shifted back to the Princess and her subordinate. ”If you go, I will remain at your side. Gore will keep watch of the circles and report anything amiss, to which will be dealt with on our return, should it please you to be so. There are also the others to reinforce your rules in the meantime.”

Once more Azrael’s eyes shifted to something else, their focus being the Prince of Fire. By the look of things the younger demon finally spoke up. "Well, if this is settled, I have my own little errand to run. Please send someone to notify myself when exactly this little search party is leaving for the human world, and I am sure Jackal would be most disappointed if he did not have any rabbits to chase after.."

Azrael snorted and rolled his eyes at Vincent’s words. But he let the Prince leave his chambers along with his rather horrid looking dog. He let Vincent’s departure rest in the air for a moment before shifting in his chair. Turning his attention back to those before him, Azrael sat forwards, lacing his fingers in front of him. “Well that settles it. Bavol you will lead a group to the Human World and with the help of Yeuri and Astaroth along with Vincent’s summon. You will be going under the guise of humans with limiters of course. Under no circumstances are you to deviate from your mission least you alert those damned Angels of our movement. Now go get a move on, your dismissed.”

He waved his hand at them to leave. Once they were no longer in his presence, Azrael stood up and donned on his public illusion. Becoming nothing more than a moving shadow with glowing red orbs set in what looked to be a cruel face, Azrael called for a servant. ”Go inform the Prince of Fire of the departure of the expedition group.” His voice came out gravely and deep with a tone of absolute authority in it. The servant merely bowed before disappearing as he was no longer within sight.

Azrael, sat back down and thought for a while. Now would normally be the time in which Cerbin would give him his report. “What is that bastard doing?” Pursing his lips, Azrael let loose a piercing whistle almost on par with Vincent’s. In a matter of seconds, Malice, one of Cerbins summons as well as his older brother appeared at his feet. A smaller lesser demon than his canine brother, Malice was a pure black dog, save for his paws, ears and tail. Which were red, almost like they were dipped in fresh blood. Licking his lips, Azrael spoke to the canine, “Cerbin you have yet to give me your report on her. How does she fare?”

---

True Cross Academy, Fidel City

At the same moment, the very lesser demons that Azrael had sent the others to capture showed up at the amusement park. At first they simply explored, messing with the old and rubdown structures within the park. That is until they caught sight of the humans. The group of lesser demons, five to be exact, only one of them was missing so really it was only four at the moment. The quartet sniffed the air in search of the best meal and caught the scent of rather strong individuals that and something that smelled vaguely of demon flesh.

Yipping and growling, the lesser demons flocked towards the group of humans. One of them was like the human that had summoned them to Earth. This puny male (Julius) had a horse looking thing while the others (Evangeline) looked weak but good to eat. Save for the other male (Akio), in his hand he carried a demon blade. The group of lesser demons hissed but they continued onward toward the group save for one of them who caught the scent of a pure demon, a superior one at that. Grinning to itself it left the three and attacked the Superior Demon (Cerbin). It was larger than the other three nearing the size of a small horse, it was a nasty looking thing all fangs and patches of fur and scales. The other three attacked the small group of humans but one caught the scent of something funny and attacked it (Aura) in hopes of singling it out so it didn’t have to share.

Bavol

---

“You better watch your tongue girl. But you that’s where you’re wrong, why should I send someone who has no experience to lead this little adventure of yours?” Satan questioned with his usual coldness.

My… he is very observant. My lack of experience clearly matters more than I thought.

The older demon continued with, “But seeing as your so eager to be a part of this I’ll let you lead. Just know I won’t take failure lightly, this isn’t one of your pretty little adventures. The same goes to your subordinate.”

“Of course Satan, by all means I shall not fail thee.” The spirited female humbly replied before grinning uncontrollably upon hearing of the older demons approval; managing just enough to keep a degree of maturity in her response.

Satan must be feeling generous if he‘s placing me in charge, huh? Well... I better make the most of this newfound authority and not let our great ruler down, shouldn't I?

”If you go, I will remain at your side. Gore will keep watch of the circles and report anything amiss, to which will be dealt with on our return, should it please you to be so. There are also the others to reinforce your rules in the meantime.”

Turning to her subordinate sharply at that moment Bavol gave a firm nod of agreement, “That would be most satisfactory, Yeu.” The girl knew she could rely on him. Yeu was hardly going to turn down the offer, and besides, the pair of them let loose on the Human World? Anything could happen.

“Well that settles it. Bavol you will lead a group to the Human World and with the help of Yeuri and Astaroth along with Vincent’s summon. You will be going under the guise of humans with limiters of course. Under no circumstances are you to deviate from your mission least you alert those damned Angels of our movement. Now go get a move on, your dismissed.”

“Understood Satan.” With a slight tilt of her head the girl offered a simple bow to the demon before returning her gaze to her subordinate once more. “Alrighty Yeu, see to it that Gore keeps a tight patrol round the circles whilst we‘re gone. I‘d trust no other to watch over my lovely little kingdom in our absence, and even if there are others to tend to things I‘d leave with a more peaceful mind knowing he was keeping a close eye on the place,” Having said that the female then remembered something and promptly added, somewhat amusingly, “Though by no means does that mean Gore gets to terrorize Kaz and Chi whilst I’m not around. I’d very much appreciate the pair in one piece upon my arrival.”

Spinning round on her heel the young woman took her leave at that moment, seeing little else to do just then beside getting the group together. From what she had gathered it was a small expedition group consisting of herself and Yeu, Detritus and the familiar of Vincent.

At that moment her eyes casually drifted over towards the direction of Detritus as she spoke, ”When your ready meet us at the gate.” She knew little of the demon personally though considering they were going to be grouped together it was only logical to establish some form of understanding amongst themselves. Needless to say however, considering Detritus was the subordinate of Chikyu, the female struggled a little to simply trust the strange figure before her.

This ought to be fun. The four of us together… what could go wrong?

Her thoughts were momentarily distracted when pondering over the small group. With a light shake of her head Bavol quickly dropped the matter and proceeded to leave the area whilst motioning for her subordinate to follow behind her.

“Come on Yeu, I don‘t really wish to linger around here any longer than I have to.” She sighed quietly before begining to make her way over and towards the Gate which lay within her circles and would offer a smooth transition from Inferno to the Human World. She expected to meet the rest of the group there, promptly.

Upon arrival at the gate in question Bavol stood idly for a moment. It hadn’t took long to reach the gate; mainly due to the young girls enthusiasm for the mission at hand. It couldn’t have been more obvious that the demon was keen to venture into the Human World and explore the unknown; mentally reminding herself not to stray too much from her current task.

Turning to Yeu just then the girl grapsed at the moment whilst the pair were alone. “It would be wise to keep an eye on the other two, don‘t you think? Anything can happen when we‘re out there.” She quietly suggested in a cautious manner.

Yeuri

---

As Satan reprimanded his mistress, Yeu simply blinked once with little to no thought towards the demon or the situation, still waiting for the man to make his point. “But seeing as you're so eager to be a part of this I’ll let you lead. Just know I won’t take failure lightly, this isn’t one of your pretty little adventures. The same goes to your subordinate.”

With Azrael’s pointed gaze, Yukon flashed him a fanged smirk, though his eyes avoided the demon’s own. This was going to be ridiculously entertaining, though, the fact that the duo had a few others within their little party was a bit of a damper. Yeuri was just looking in Astaroth’s direction when Vincent spoke up, informing the group of his departure. His eyes perked up to the Pillar’s form, a subtle interest portraying itself amidst his features, though it disappeared as soon as it was there.

“Well that settles it. Bavol you will lead a group to the Human World…. You will be going under the guise of humans with limiters of course. Under no circumstances are you to deviate from your mission….” Yeu couldn’t help but let a twisted grin spread across his lips as Azrael agreed to Bavol’s terms. He could care less about the limitations and such, he was simply eager to find himself in the human world itself. He had heard his fair share of stories half a millennia ago, so it served that he should be keen to experience it himself. Not to mention the obvious fact that neither he nor Bavol had visited the other realm before, though both knew well what to expect.

At his Mistress’s reply to his suggestion of authority, he dipped his head in recognition and tapped a finger against his thigh. “Alrighty Yeu, see to it that Gore keeps a tight patrol round the circles whilst we‘re gone. I‘d trust no other to watch over my lovely little kingdom in our absence, and even if there are others to tend to things I‘d leave with a more peaceful mind knowing he was keeping a close eye on the place,” He nodded, grinning slightly at the praise she shared with his familiar.

“Though by no means does that mean Gore gets to terrorize Kaz and Chi whilst I’m not around. I’d very much appreciate the pair in one piece upon my arrival.” At that Yeuri smirked playfully, ”No promises~” Despite the obvious light-heartedness of his comment, it was well known between the both of them that whatever Bavol asked would be completed to the best of her subordinate’s ability. Her familiars would be left in one piece, but he could hardly deny his faithful familiar’s small desires- or at least as long as Bavol gave him leeway in such matters.

As she turned and began her departure, Yeu rose from his seat and shoved his hands into his pockets, following her at a close distance with a cheerful smirk to his features. As they proceeded, his Mistress took pause to address Astaroth. Yukon looked back on him as well, but his eyes were blank and rather uncaring of the individual. Once that was completed, the pair turned and made their way back to their own domain.

As the two arrived back within their circles, Yeuri tapped his foot and let a low, eerie tune leave his lips. Immediately Gore materialized before his master in a fog of black tendrils, a Cheshire grin to his face and his orbs a pure, lucid yellow. The familiar was lapping his tongue over his oversized canines, liquid dripping from his maw to spatter the ground below in deep wine-red stains. He trotted up to his master, a low whine and a tail wag to show greeting before he slid underneath the demon’s hand, his ears swiveling this way and that as Yeuri stroked the soft fur and rubbed at his ears.

The trio then made their way casually to the gates between worlds, Yukon mentally giving orders to his familiar. As they stopped, Yeu shared a private grin with Bavol, mischief flaring up in his eyes. Gore took a seat beside the old stone, his orbs shifting this way and that as he surveyed the scene; however, it was near impossible to tell the motion within the jackal’s eyes, as there was no pupil to distinguish glance.

“It would be wise to keep an eye on the other two, don‘t you think? Anything can happen when we‘re out there.” When Bavol spoke up, Yeuri’s attention immediately snapped to her form. He pouted ever so slightly, crossing his arms like a child, ”If we must,” He smirked, dropping the act and gaining a somewhat serious look to his eyes, ”Probably a good idea; shouldn’t be too much of an issue if everyone behaves nice and proper.” He leaned against the door to the other world lazily, blinking once and waiting for the others to arrive.

“I’ll meet you on the other side – scout ahead to make sure the group is not noticed crossing over.” Yeu turned his head to watch the demon approach, still harboring no hints on his face towards feelings. He simply nodded at the guy’s proposition, watching as he stepped through the blackened vortex that stood confined between three walls. Yeuri stood up and stationed himself by Bavol’s side, awaiting the arrival of Vincent’s jackal. They didn’t have to pause for too great a period, as the creature soon came loping up. Gore’s ears twitched at the sight of the other breed, and he gave a low whine towards the other familiar, announcing his presence and sending somewhat of a greeting. Other than that, he remained motionless in his post.

”Shall we?” Yukon made a regal bow towards his Mistress, a cheesy grin to his features as he offered his hand playfully for her to accept if she so wished to do so. Regardless, Yeu gave one last glance towards his familiar and gave a short nod before leading the rest of the group through the doors.

Cool air met his lungs as they transferred between realms, and he breathed it in deeply. It stung slightly, as he was unused to such a different atmosphere, but other than that he enjoyed the feeling. However, their surroundings were rather bland and uncouth, with simple brick walls that hinted an alleyway, and trash bins shoved up against the end of it. He snorted lightly before allowing his gaze to drift over the rest of their location. The roads were dusty and strange mechanisms rumbled by. It was rather dark, but a few streetlights flickered occasionally to set the scene in a strange glow and offer some amount of sight to the humans. Yeuri himself, though, had rather adept eyes when it came to darkness, so he was actually pleased with the low lighting.

From the stories he had heard when he was so young, it was very obvious that everything about Earth had changed. Well… almost everything. Yukon let his gaze slide up towards the heavens, and he was greeted with the soft warmth of the stars. A ghost of an actual smile teased at the corners of his lips, and he blinked, soaking in the grandeur of those little specks. While he could have easily stood for an eternity just to observe them, Yeu pulled his gaze away, reminding himself of the task at hand.

Gazing to Bavol, he smirked, relaxing his stance ever so slightly before looking over the rest of their group. As his orbs fell on Astaroth’s form, he just caught the demon’s snake merging into the shadows to disappear after a task. Yeuri assumed that the familiar’s disappearance pertained to their quest, but with the unfamiliarity of Astaroth, it wasn’t entirely wise to trust such an idea. Yet, Yeu didn’t open his mouth to make any comment whatsoever.

”We should probably get a move on, yeah?” As Yeu spoke, he pulled the limiter from his pocket and clasped it onto his upper arm. There wasn’t much to change, merely subtle shifts in his form to clean up his look. However, as per respect towards Azrael’s authority and the fact that the limiter was a must have, it was an added security since Yeu’s form tended to shift when pushed to do so.

He paused for the others to gain their bearings before taking a customary position in front of Bavol for her protection, and then immediately started the group off on their little quest. They would probably be relying on Jackal for extra insight on Lesser positions, since he was a resource to be used, but other than that, it was up to them to figure things out. However, as they began proceeding in a general direction, Astaroth’s snake returned, and that was when Yeuri addressed the demon. ”Anything?” At whatever indication was provided, the group set off.

They walked through streets without incident, only seeing a few humans wandering about with drunken stances and uneasy gates. They walked for quite some time before they finally came to the city limits, soon passing away from the lights and the cramped buildings to the quiet emptiness of the off-roads.

Yeuri’s facials hinted towards boredom, and he had shoved his hands in his pockets about three miles prior. When he had envisioned coming to Earth, he had certainly expected it to be more exciting and fast-paced. But instead, they were stuck walking for what seemed to be an eternity through no-man’s land. Occasionally he would turn to check on Bavol, making certain she was still comfortable. Had it been only them, they probably would have found too many things to entertain themselves with, and probably have flipped some worlds upside-down, but alas, they had others with them and they had to keep an authoritative look and stature.

Yeuri mainly kept himself occupied with gazing up at the night sky, picking out a few constellations here and there and thinking about a plethora of different things. However, as they walked, an old abandoned amusement park came into view, and Yeuri’s attention piqued up. It was still awhile off, but at least they finally had a goal in sight.

Bavol

---

“If we must…Probably a good idea; shouldn’t be too much of an issue if everyone behaves nice and proper.”

As Yeu spoke, the young female smiled sweetly towards him. “Of course.”

“I’ll meet you on the other side – scout ahead to make sure the group is not noticed crossing over.” Shifting her stare away from her subordinate, Bavol looked over to the direction of Astaroth as the demon appeared at that moment.

“Alrighty. See you on the other side.” She offered with a nod.

Returning her attention to Yeu, the princess stood comfortably at his side whilst the pair of them awaited the arrival of the jackal that Vincent was sending to join their group. Of course they didn’t have to wait long, as shortly after the beast in question emerged into their sights and joined them.

“Shall we?”

She nodded, “Let‘s.” Hastily, Bavol welcomed the offering of a hand from Yeu as she grasped hold of it at that moment. The sight of Vincent’s jackal, in particular, had caused the young demon to feel somewhat more cautious than usual when finding herself within the beasts presence. “Let us move quickly.”

Arriving into the human realm Bavol gradually released her hold on Yeu as she focus more on steadying herself on the new ground that lay beneath her feet. Upon closer inspection it was odd and unfamiliar to her, though intriguing all at the same time. Clearly the girl had not stepped foot into the human realm until now, and as such, it was all very new to her.

So this is the Human World? She thought, her eyes filling up with an unquestionable child-like curiosity as the demon awed quietly at the newly discovered scenery that surrounded her. It is so… so very unexpected and different. Just then a cold breeze swept across the princesses skin, sending an uncomfortable shiver all the way up her spine and causing the girl to fold her arms tightly around her body.

“Nobody said it would be cold,” She pouted, attempting to readjust herself to the unwelcoming chilly air. “I was not aware that I needed to layer up on outfits.” Regardless if anyone was listening, Bavol just shrugged it off and looked to Yeu.

“We should probably get a move on, yeah?” She nodded and watched her subordinate place his limiter onto his upper arm, which prompted her to do the same as Bavol took out her own limiter and snuggly fitted it around her wrist. Overall she still appeared the same, and with enough effort she would blend in with humans easily. However, what with the outfit she wore the demon still stood out in some way or another. The thought alone made the female grin a little, secretly.

Once the group got themselves adjusted, and after Yeu stood before her as expected, Bavol immediately began to follow closely behind her subordinate as the group began to move.

Whilst doing so she couldn’t help but quietly giggle, “Hopefully we shant get lost.”

Throughout most of their journey through the human realm Bavol paid little attention to the group in general, the girls curiosity in that which surrounded her grasping at her attention instead; such as the few humans they passed, the buildings, the gardens and the streets. Just gazing over the place made Bavol rather eager to go off exploring and uncover new areas of this foreign world, though she knew that it was unlikely and that her focus must ultimately be on the task at hand. Before she knew it, though, the group had soon found themselves leaving the comforts of the inhabited land of humans and slowly entering a more lifeless portion of the world which clearly lacked much human contact. The empty roads were anything but exciting and yet even with this the princess oddly found the quietness to be rather appealing and a comfort in it’s own way.

For much of the long walk Bavol had been strangely quiet; her feet dragging along the ground occasionally as thoughts of naps and slumbering preoccupying her mind.

Just then, up ahead, she spotted an amusement park.

“That ought to be the place,” She said and looked to the group. “At least we wont have to worry about getting spotted by average humans… even the dead would find this place a bit of a bore.” With that said the princess motioned for the group to follow as she proceed forward, the prospect of an amusement park persuading the young demon to become a bit more energetic in her approach towards the task. “Though I hate to even dare say it - the faster we move the quicker we shall get there. Our current pace is too slow in other words. Let us pick it up a little shall we?”

Allowing the fellow group members a moment to share their own thoughts, Bavol promptly continued onwards shortly after towards the seemingly abandoned amusement park.

Some time later, as the group found themselves approaching the entrance of the seemingly abandoned amusement park the princess began to eye-up the long disused area and pondered lightly on how to proceed forward. By the looks of it this park has long since been put to any productive use. The inactivity ought to make tracking down the demons a little easier… Speaking of usage, perhaps now would be an ideal time to put that jackal to some good use. Whilst away with her thoughts Bavol couldn’t help but stare at the jackal in question as she curiously looked the creature over.

“Any ideas?” She enquired to the group before turning to face Yeu and Astaroth especially. “I was thinking of letting the jackal go first - sense out the location of the demons and that. We could split up and explore the area in the meantime - see what we come across.”

Twirling round on her heel the female progressed forward through the gate and ventured a little further into the amusement park; making sure not to stray too far from the others by remaining close by in their line of sight.

This place is definitely not what I was expecting. Though it is worth a good old snoop around in… it doesn’t seem that there is much to really discover in this place. We‘ve barely scratched the surface of this world and I may not return for some time. Is this really all I am going to see during my time here?

“This place is so boring and dead… it‘s like one big corpse altogether.” Bavol sulked with her usual childish manner, crossing her arms against her chest before slumping down and sitting herself onto the ground. Glancing over her shoulder she called to Yeu and Astaroth, “We can regroup once the location of the demons is found and take them out together... That is if our little jackal doesn‘t let us down. Unless either of you know of another way to approach this task.”

((Wrong Location.))

The human world was overwhelming since his last foray into this realm. Perhaps, even more so this time around as the scents of greasy foods and a nauseating combination of rust and oil invaded the sensitive snout of Jackal. A low whimper escaped the dog-like creature’s throat as his nose assaulted by the sickening stench that would be appeasing to humans, yet was an utter hell hole for this hound. Swiping a battered paw over his snout as if trying to make an effort to block out the smells, while trailing behind the hunting party..With all the distractions it was very possible that the hound would be of little help when the inevitable combat came into play. There were just too many distractions for the creature to sniff out like any canine in his situation would do, regardless of who’s feet he laid at it was a common problem his natural instincts. Finally the group came to a halt and began dividing sections with the help from Astaroth’s map, it was a blessing in disguise as Jackal partially collapsed in an undignified way into the dirt as his defenses against the smells finally was overcome and the hound merely admitted defeat to the human realm. Feeling nauseated that even the slightest movement of his furry skull made the world swim before his eyes, yet thankfully his other senses were not overcome by the human scenery.

Opal colored eyes wearily eyed the airy Prince who appeared determined enough to walk on her own without her normally ever-present bodyguard. The demon seemed content enough to have a thimble of confidence in his charge and set off in another direction, obviously determined to find something to maim. Now with only himself and Astaroth alone, a faint whine escaped the hound's throat as the demon would possibly find the hound's intestine's interesting if the hound vomited in front of him. Not wanting to take the chance of getting his internal organs rearranged and then having his tract sewn back together by a less than gentle Vincent, the hound took his chance and eased himself to his paws and trotted after Yeu, determined to put a few feet between his tail and the deprived Astaroth who did gods know what if suffering from boredom.

A few minutes seemed to pass as Jackal managed to catch up with Yeu who seemed to determined enough to find a target. His nerves still on edge, the loping creature merely observed the demon. His stature and weaponry gave him a dignified posture of a warrior, yet why with his talents would this warrior choose to stay in 'honored' position as the bodyguard to the sloth-like Prince of Air. Snorting in disgust at the various second-hand accounts provided by his own bespectacled Master, who was less than appreciative of the lazy Prince. His own ears shot up in attention as an earth-shattering roar ripped across the park, prompting his warrior to bound away with surprising speed. Growling in his own frustrating as the hound trotted as fast as his paws could carry him in his sickened state.

By the time he managed to step into the bloodbath of an area where a foul-looking behemoth of an ape lay dead from multiple wounds, a blade still stuck it in gut. Yet, the carcass was not his main focus of his muddled senses as he perked up his ears to caught the conversation between Yeu and the 'human?' girl. The demon was taking a serious risk in invading the personal space of the human..Who knew what she was capable of. Within moments of hearing ”You have tainted blood.” from the bored voice of You, that was something his Master would be very interested in.

Shaking his head clear of the overwhelming smells, the hound took a very daring risk that could result in a very bloody mess, both political and personal. Bounding toward the pair with surprising speed, his tongue lolling out as he sprang into the air running it over the small pool of blood running onto the dagger against the girl's neck. With a none to graceful landing, the hound merely panted once at the pair before bursting into grey ashes.


Within minutes, his bleeding paws slammed against the wooden flooring of the Library much to the disgust of several on-looking attendants who would have to clean the floors once again. Finally reaching his destination with a loud exhale as the beast collapsed at the feet of his Master's desk who merely looked over his book with little interest. Vincent's patience wore thin as the large creature began to whine in a pathetic way with his lengthy tongue soiling his floor with drool and..blood? Arching a brow as the man merely withdrew an obsidian colored book from his desk, the front with characters of an unknown language with silver coating to them. Going around his desk, Vincent swiped a spare handkerchief across the lolling tongue of the beast, observing as the crimson liquid greedily sucked into the pale cotton fabric. Placing the cloth on a winter-white page of the mysterious book, as the title page slowly began to form words like in blood-red ink as the name Ryuu Shosuke formed.

Cold blue eyes merely blinked at the name with little interest as the meniscus amount of information from the Jackal's mind and the specimen's blood began to fill in the once blank pages. A faint smirk appeared on the man's face as an odd fact appeared on the pages..The human girl was half-demon. How interesting..It was not very common for demons to spawn offspring with humans. Well, at least for the offspring to survive. Pushing his glasses up to his face, Vincent barked a few orders to passing attendants for them to search for their current records of any 'relations' of his kind and Humans. This could be the beginning of a very different type of search..

A loud whine disrupted his thoughts as the soiled muzzle of Jackal pressed against his knee yearning for praise. Gently stroking the rough fur of the beast with his free right hand before Vincent asked the beast "Now how exactly did you get this interesting sample..hmmm Jackal? I would hate to have any unwelcome guest ranting that you molested them..." The beast merely snorted and rolled his eyes at the comment before settling himself at the feet of his Master. The man in charge merely propped open his newly discovered book and slowly turned the pages..This was an interesting day indeed.

Ryuu

Ryuu risked the chance to look in Nathaniel’s direction just as he laid the finishing blow to the demon snake. She pushed back the demons apes’ fist, swinging her sword in an arc as she herself was pushed back from the ape’s fist. “Yes, please hurry and find Akio and make sure he’s with Julius and Evangeline! I trust his skill as a swordsman but he isn’t ready yet for a fight with a lesser demon. Although he can hold his own he won’t last long so make sure he doesn’t kill himself in trying to have fun. I’ll deal with this one and go find Aura, so hurry up and go!”

Running forwards once more, Ryuu raised her sword prepared to cut at its side as it raised both its fist to crush its incoming target. Just before it was able to move even an inch, for Ryuu to side-step the attack she knew was to come the demon ape went rigid. Raising a brow, red orbs caught a glimpse of a sword running parallel to the creature’s shoulders. What in the world?{ The demon bellowed in pain, causing Ryuu to tense while her hands went to her ears to help block out the sound. Grimacing Ryuu took steps back unknowingly. Even after the creatures’ bellow of pain quieted down she could still hear a loud ringing in her ears. “Dammit.” she said under her breathe.

Shaking her head, Ryuu saw that second blade had lodged itself in the demons flesh. This one had no hilt of any sort and was more of a simple piece of steel than an actual weapon. Chains wrapped around the creatures leg, as well as a black substance that at first she thought was smoke was something different, something she had no knowledge of. Creasing her brow, Ryuu watched as the demon ape was pulled to the ground. It made attempts to get up but with the sword at its back and the blade and chains around its leg kept it from moving anything. Realizing how hard it’d be for a person to pull down such a large creature, Ryuu looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of the man behind this act of total domination.

The demon stopped thrashing only long enough to let loose a roar as it looked back in search of its assailant. However its roar was cut short as a small dagger flew to the air piercing the flesh between its eyes. Eyes widening ever so slightly, Ryuu brought her sword up so it was now parallel to her body the moment a man showed up. He plucked his dagger from the between the Lesser’s eyes as the chains that were once slack drew towards him. The blade with no hilt was no longer just a blade but a sword with a hilt that had a rams head design for the cross-guard. Tilting her head to the side in question, Ryuu blinked a couple times in hopes what she saw before her was merely a trick of her eyes. The black substance seemed to be sucked in by the rams head cross-guard.

In that moment Ryuu was no longer paying attention to the man before her. And she realized to late of how close he had gotten to her. So fast? A gasp of surprise escaped her lips upon the cold prick of steel against her necl. Ryuu could feel his lips close to the back of her jaw as he inhaled deeply; frowning in confusion the first words he spoke to her sent a chill down her spine. It took her a short moment to comprehend what had just happened and to understand the weight of his words, “”You have tainted blood.”

As she finally understood what had just happened, rage erupted deep within her being as her eyes narrowed. “You bastard!” she snarled in response. Turning her grip on Chomesku, Ryuu changed the direction of the obsidian blade so it would push him away from her. Just as she was pushing him away something came running out of nowhere. From her brief look at the creature it was a disgusting thing that she assumed was a dog of some sort. Ryuu could feel it’s’ hot breathe on her neck. Taking a step back Ryuu swung her sword in the direction of the dog-like demon in hopes of adding distance between her and it. While it did land a bit away from her it wasn’t by her actions. With a simple pant of its breathe in their general direction the Lesser went with a poof, leaving only grey ashes to ride the gentle breeze that passed through the park.

Her anger forgotten in the heat of the moment, with the Lesser now gone Ryuu placed her hand alongside her throat. She could feel warmth seeping through her skin. Glancing down at her hand Ryuu saw a smear of blood but it was very little thankfully. He only nicked me. Why? He could have easily killed me with his dagger. Looking back up at the man before her, Ryuu had already guessed he wasn’t close to human considering how fast he moved. “I should say the same about yourself. You’re not human, no human being could have possibly moved that fast let alone get so close without me noticing. I hope your prepared to lose a limb. I don’t appreciate being cut while being told my blood is tainted by the likes of you.”

Glaring at him, Ryuu raised her sword in a somewhat offensive position. But it was to where she could easily shift its placement to block an attack coming from him if so dared to do so.