Janus Abraxis's Story

Amidst the darkness of the pillared forest, something stirred beneath – the most indistinct of scratches, but one which prefaced an explosion of frantic activity. The beginning was a cacophony of turmoil to the quiet monastery of green as shadows flashed between raining maple leaves. The rapid movements of their hot pursuit raked the surface, disturbing the disintegrating mulch with dry crunches. It was there that Janus, soldier, conqueror and beast had already commenced his hunt. Moonlight stippled the ground, reflecting of his silky complexion through gaps in the canopy and broadcasting his chase. Portraying some hellish nightmare, Janus’ movements appeared erratic. Crawling, he flailed awkwardly with the reach of his limbs, unused to the feeling off standing upon his own two feet yet somehow, impossibly able to maintain speed. To anyone else he would have looked like a drunken child, but instead of intoxicated eyes, Janus’ were fantastically lucid.

The large, stocky form of his prey lay directly ahead. Like all fallen, it smelt the unnatural existence of Janus’ being, an aroma that was reminiscent of their indomitable jail, and took off in fear. Unfortunately for the spirit, there was no escaping. It could only prolong the inevitable, or stand and fight. Behind it, Janus’ pace was swiftly approaching fever pitch, excited by the thrill of the chase. Breaking the sound barrier, the young man issued a joyous howl and spurred the unfamiliar frame of his meat doll into perilously dangerous velocities. Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps it was fatigue that eventually compelled the spirit to halt and defend itself. Upon reaching a clearing, it turned in staunch defiance to whoever was chasing it.

Startlingly, the man shot overhead and crashed into a wall of trees, as though unable to stop his blistering trajectory in reaction to the sudden pause. Disappearing in the other direction, he left a track of destruction and tumbling leaves in the absence of his entrance. The sounds of his clatter continued for quite some distance before finally ending.

Yellow tree flesh was strewn like shattered kindling in the wake of the disaster. Perhaps it had lost him, dared the spirit until Janus’ rueful laughter rebounded of the tree trunks.

“Phew, still not used to this form,” Janus commented genially, as if the spirit cared for what he was saying. No longer crawling, the man stepped out of the gloom, flexing his arms to loosen the tension. The spirit roared in fury and blood lust, rearing up on its hind legs in reaction to Janus’ menacing approach.

Emerald eyes almost glowed as they regarded the shaggy form that was twice his height. Sharps claws and heavy arms made up the bulk of its shape. “They said I’m not meant to kill spirits if possible, but I need someone to test this body of mine on,” Janus explained neutrally, “I am Janus Abraxis, Archdemon of Inferno, the eternal hunter. Surrender or die, spirit.”

“Do I have a choice, mad knight?” it growled and sprang forwards, spitting spikes.

Janus laughed, remained stationary as the razor blades impaled his chest and shoulder. The blows were shallow and met with demonic resistance. Large projectiles ripped open his shirt and flesh, only to sizzle as Janus’ wounds immediately regenerated. Gazing down, Janus casually flicked of the jagged implants, dislodging them. “Is this all?” he croaked, his voice a deep and vicious snarl.

The creature threw itself physically down towards Janus, claws slashing furiously. Contemptuously, Janus swatted aside the first bear-like claw and side stepped as the other scythed downwards, cracking the earth. The talons were cumbersome, but powerful. Before the spirit could ready the next swing, Janus struck with a punch that would have torn a tree from its roots.

Something cracked and the spirit screamed in ear-shredding rage and pain. Janus lashed out again, both hands clenched in a flanking hammer-blow that nearly ripped the creature in two. The thing flew in the air, scattering dead foliage and slamming into a tree trunk. The spirit tried to rise, but Janus’ boot pounded into its chest, crushing it to the floor.

“I appreciate all of you escaping you know? I often wondered, what would I do with myself otherwise?” Janus sneered. The execution blow came spiralling downwards but was interrupted by a flash of crimson as his seal kicked in.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Janus groaned. A wave force raced outwards, hammering into Janus and sending him flying across the floor. Janus was already on his feet, crouched low, with one-hand digging mounds from the dirt to slow down his thrust. He looked up but the spirit had already vanished.

“Until next time then,” he murmured, pushing himself upright. This was the limit of his capabilities, thanks to the seal.

“Meooow”

A soft jingle intruded his musings, surprising the demon. Janus glanced around and recognised the cat familiar sitting behind him from the red collar that looped around its neck. “That was quick. It seems my solitary hunting has come to an end for now,” he frowned. Being summoned was an unfavourable sign in Janus’ books. Janus was well aware his unruly behaviour was often a topic of great debate amongst his superiors. This summoning was likely to be another attempt to reign in his aggressive personality.

Growing impatient, it cried again, this time with added emphasis as it took to scratching his pants. Such an adorable collection of fur would have instantly enchanted any normal person. Immune to such charms however, Janus only rolled his eyes in dismissal.

“Alright, go on then. This better be good” he grumbled before dropping into the demonic portal. The world collapsed in on itself as the teleportation spell folded his body, manipulating his molecules. Janus grinned with unbridled enthusiasm upon reaching the other side. His green eyes settled on the mismatched duo that greeted him, observing their rigid appearances with mirth. Choosing to ignore the exhausted expression on Victorica’s face, he dusted of his tattered clothes and strode forwards.

“My dear old Victorica! And Lucian!” he exclaimed, “I was only just beginning to get used my new body. I hope this isn’t yet another attempt to shackle me. Or perhaps you’ll inform me that my request for a larger meat doll has been approved? This one is far too cramped.”

Lucian did not bother to look up towards the voice that filled the area, already knowing those lucid tones to belong to Janus. As always, the demon was eager for a new body, antsy to push the boundaries of what was just barely acceptable. This failed to faze him, in fact, it had done nothing of the sort the very first time they had met millennia ago. He supposed the only downside to being a time mage was that nothing seemed to surprise him in the slightest, which may or may not have ruined the little "gift" Janus had sent him some years back. He slid blank eyes to the far side of the room, a few seconds in advance before another figure appeared, this one female. She had long red locks of hair but the first thing Lucian noticed was not her frame (which most tended to catch on to first), but the smell of lust that she carried with her. Of course.

She looked a bit miffed, as she had been interrupted from something important. The woman cracked her neck as a sudden burst of flame engulfed her; when the smoke cleared, quite a different creature stood in her place, with crimson skin and tattered wings and two massive horns curving over her head. Xana looked around the room, flames rippling across her arms, and smirked at the other figures in the room despite her hunger--Lucian was always difficult to get any sort of emotion other than apathy, and Victorica was merely tired from all of her traveling about. Janus, on the other hand... he was always easy to feed from--so easy to get any sort of reaction from, especially when he was angry... Her tail flicked back and forth in anticipation. "Better be worth my time away from feeding, Lucian..." Xana growled, rolling her neck and letting the cracks echo through the chamber. "You know how I get when I'm hungry..."

Lucian didn't spare her much of a glance but he did so long enough to let her know that clearly she would not be here if it were not imperative. It wasn't but a few seconds more that another woman appeared, this one with stark white hair and a few blood splatters here and there on her clothes. Culsa was baring her teeth, looking ready to pounce on the cat that was already scampering back over to its Mistress. In fact, she was going to. In the time it took him to merely yawn, she was already shapeshifting into a wolf to terrorize the tiny animal, who hissed and tried to take refuge behind the gatekeeper. Very typical, very expected behavior indeed. He ignored the proceedings going on with the gatekeeper, sparing Janus a look before sighing and leaning further against the wall in a bored fashion. The sounds of an agitated fight continued, up until the deeper, firm voice of the gatekeeper spoke up.

"Enough you two, cease your bickering," Victorica wasn't able to use her normal commanding voice, given her weakened disposition, but it was still enough to snap Culsa and the cat out of their spat. The cat fled behind the larger lion and the gatekeeper released her breath. She fought to stay balanced correctly as she leaned against her weapon, eying the group through slightly narrowed orbs.

"I've summoned all of... most of you here..." She amended, taking note of the missing demon from their midst's. "To brief you on the current situation." Victorica tried to straighten to give more validity to her words, as she knew that any signs of weakness would cause her statements to be dismissed by the other demons. Perhaps not Lucian but certainly the others. "Currently, we are in a precarious state of pandemonium." She paused to gesture to the Gates that stood behind her, now just a mere shadow of what they used to be. Much of the fine metal and appeal of the portal had been torn away and destroyed, leaving tattered chains and chunks of marble here and there.

"I am not sure what has caused it but there has been an unnatural influx of spirits and wraiths that have swept through the gates... While I must remain stationed here, to ward off any potential threats that try to escape as the others have, I have received orders from above. You are all to travel to Resmyrd, to join the Angels and Exorcists respectively to eliminate this threat and restore the balance to Purgatory." She shot most of the demons a dirty look, for there was some undertone of "Isn't this the stupid plot to every adventure story ever" lingering about. She adjusted herself, snapping her fingers. Her lion familiar was the one to position himself this time, moving to the center of the area.

"I will transport you all there. The higher ups will be expecting updates... but they will explain the situation more in detail when you arrive." And before waiting for any questions, she hit the ground once with the hilt of her weapon and her familiar roared, creating a large portal. Lucian pushed himself off the wall and was already stepping into the portal before anyone else with a smooth fluidness. He had done this so many times before yet there was something that felt just a tad different this time... He could only hope this gut feeling would actually come to pass.

---

"I'll began placing you together. Do this quickly, we've no time to waste. Lucian, Sangre. Janus and Ryu. Xana and Cadenza. Marethyu, Volos. And Culsa and Caelestis."

Balanced precariously over the lip of the railings, the demon named Janus barely responded at all to the calling. He sat there, legs dangling over the edge, lost in his own excitement and anticipation. The presence of both commanders gave rise to a flicker of hope. The hope that he would have the opportunity to fight a worthy opponent once again. Alas, such aspirations were doomed to be trampled as the Angel Commander picked up from where Treylion had finished.

"As for you, Exorcists. You'll be placed into each group as we deem fit. What I mean by this is you'll have the choice to fight either myself or Treylion. Based on how well you do, we'll place you in these groups."

Throwing his head back, Janus released an exasperate groan as the procession was delivered. It was bad enough having to be cooped up in this suffocating trap of a meat doll, but suppressing his primal urges was draining. Matters were made worse by the fact that they would be operating up in the over world, which tended to call for rather more subtlety. He thought the outbreak would provide him the thrill of violence and freedom that had recently been lacking in his life, but so far all it had provided was more restrictions.

Ryu looked for the one named Janus and spotted a man who was alone. It seemed that this one was the Demon named Janus. The Archangel made his way over to the demon, a smile on his face as he approached. As soon as he was close enough to the demon, he reached out and greeted the man warmly.

"Hello there, name's Ryu. I look forward to working with you," Ryu offered, it was hard for him to keep at bay his general greeting which was to hug the person in question. So, the overly hyper Angel decided to stick with his original greeting.

Janus looked at the arm on his shoulder, wearing a mask of utter disgust as his eyes extended up to its owner and then looked at Ryu up and down. "Oh great, looks like I got the happy-go-lucky one," he smirked mirthlessly in response to Ryu's genial attempt at introductions.

The demon brushed the arm away, shunning it like some contagious disease, before twirling in place. Placing his legs back within the boundaries of the porch, he pushed of the railings and stood up straight, meeting the mistmatched eyes of the angel. What a solicitious being. His opposite in almost every respect, at least from his first impressions. The angel had barely said anything to him, but Janus could already tell. The friendly aura which radiated from the placated expression of Ryu's only seemed to have the opposite affect on the demon, who glared back at the angel with ravenous hunger.

"So this is who i've been saddled with," said Janus, sniffing roughly, "You seem like a nice angel. I'm Janus Abraxis and I hate nice angels."

As if by example, Janus then flicked his thumb over the balcony at Rai. "Especially people like your commander. Acting so damned high and mighty like most of you angels."

Ryu grinned back at Janus, he wasn't in the least angered about the demon's reaction to him. He pulled his hand back and rested them on his hips as he regarded Janus.

"I think I'll come to rub off on you Janus," Ryu replied sweetly, keeping his genuine smile, "As for my commander, I wouldn't underestimate him, my friend. Just like some others around here," Ryu finished as he took his eyes off of Janus and looked around the room. He was sure he could pick out who was deadly and who wasn't. Especially a certain demoness who had cornered one of the Angels, Cadenza if Ryu remembered correctly.

"That's a rather bold statement angel," Janus returned, finally backing out of 'uncomfortable personal space' range, the concept of which was alien to him like so many other basic human etiquettes. Neither did Janus possess the common decency to refer to someone by name. Only those he respected in combat were able to earn that courtesy. He shifted his jealous gaze down as the first exorcist stepped forwards and engaged in combat with the child-like angel commander, wishing he were the one fighting.

"And who says I'm underestimating him?" said Janus, unleashing a wild grin. "I was only commenting that his behaviour is shit boring, like most angels..."

Ryu bristled slightly as he listened to the demon's speech. Was he trying to provoke him? Or was that indirect? Etherway, Ryu brushed the slight comment past and figured that the demon was always like this. It would be something that he'd just have to get used to. The Angel crossed his arms over his chest and went to the railing to look out over the edge and see what Janus was looking at.

"Hmm," he hummed lightly, "That exorcist... He's not bad. He's good to look at too," Ryu grinned, shooting Janus a sideways glance. The fight wasn't too long, but long enough to show the exorcist's strength and Rai's overwhelming power. The Angel let out a dissatisfied sigh though as the exorcist was given to a different group. So much for having a nice human to enjoy company with.

A snort sounded out from besides Ryu as Janus stuck his nose up at the exorcist's fighting prowess. "Pffft. Yes, aren't they just so cute and cuddley?" Janus scoffed dismissively, unable to comprehend such petty attractions. Knowing seductive demons like Xana certainly did not improve his outlook either.

Crossing his arms, the demon looked far from impressed as the tables were quickly turned on the man who battled the angel. A painful shriek tore upwards, destroying the somber atmosphere as Rai finished redirecting the human's power, concluding the first duel. "Weak, pathetic and limited," Janus criticized, "His speed is abysmal, if worse comes to worse these humans are going to be a liability when the wraiths pop out. Let's face it, the only reason they're useful is because they can exorcise a spirit and save the soul. But if you ask me, some of these exorcists don't even look like they care about that."

Janus rolled his eyes down at the group of exorcists that arrayed the stage by way of indication. "So word of advice to you. Don't get too attacted to them," Janus chuckled, "Or you''ll just be setting yourself up for disappointment."

"Sounds like you've been disappointed before," Ryu answered with a smile, "Why not give it another try? You may be surprised."

"Witch, you will be paired with Janus and Ryu--I'm sure you'll find your demon companion to... share some common interest. And you, meister, you will be with Culsa and Caelestis."

Ryu turned his attention to the Commander who sent them their Exorcist. It was a woman by the looks of it, a woman dressed like a witch out of the books. He eyed her carefully and then decided that she would be just fine, especially if she could weild more power like she'd done so in the fight.

"Aaaand that's us," Janus hummed. His expression evolved into one of pure skepticism as their subordinate approached, wearing something that looked far to ridiculous and far to frivilous to be conventional. How was this human supposed to fight anyone dressed like that? Crowning her long, violet strands, an utter patchwork of mismatched materials inspired his suspicions. White lace licked the surface beneath her feet, coated in layers of black fabric that hung loosely enough to look like a hinderance. The soft taps of her high heels only served to compound her audacity. As her figure wrapped around his mind, Janus' eyes flashed with abhorrence, "What even is this? Some kind of joke? I thought they were assigning us exorcists. You're in the wrong setting witch. You should run back to your gingerbread house before you get killed."

Virie took the comment in stride, her ears picking up on it as soon as she got in the immediate vicinity. Perhaps that would've insulted a lesser being than her, but all it made her do was crack a very wide grin. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot my broom to make myself seem more convincing. See, it was shoved so far up your ass that I failed to find it. My sincerest apologies."

Ryu's eyes widened as he watched both of them, he couldn't believe what was just said. He looked between the two of them, unsure of how to react, "Alright now... let's just... try to work together alright?" He offered, lifting his hands and smiling.

"Bloody what?" Janus snarled, hands unfurling in a gesture of threat. He stalked past the conscientious objector and took a step closer to Virie, eyes glowing with balefire, "Say that again you pathetic human!"

Ryu moved, he watched Janus come closer to Virie and immediately put himself between them. This wasn't working... why was he having to be in a group with two hostile people? One a demon none-the-less. Ryu pushed against Janus, keeping him away from the smaller human girl.

"Alright! That's enough you two. We should get ready to go, I'm sure we're done here," he said, his smile long gone and his voice now more serious than before.

Several days without the basest of needs left Janus frustratingly sensitive. Now camped on a small outcrop which overlooked the dingy town, on the verge of commencing his hunt, Janus could barely contain his delight. Rare were the people who looked forwards to a full frontal confrontation with a wraith, but Janus was a fighter, an attack dog with a target. Worst than a savage beast, he thrilled at the prospect of violence alone. Being the most enthusiastic of his group, Janus had rove ahead of the others, hoping to be the first to encounter his prey. An expression akin to excited anticipation crossed over his meat doll’s features, curving his lips in a primordial fashion.

His olfactory organ sucked in the air, discerning and interpreting the fumes at levels a human could not even begin to comprehend. Janus could smell everything, the wretched stench of unwashed masses, the compelling aroma of cooked foods, each one unique in its own right and intermingled in a haze of others. Disappointingly, the visceral fragrance of blood was missing, meaning their spirit had yet to move. His mind cursed the names of both Virie Raymbraint and Ryu D’Tari. Where in hells teeth were those incompetent fools? How long could it possibly take to walk to town?

Enhanced smelling only brushed on the surface of his capabilities. Janus could run at speeds faster than any man. He could reduce a building to tinder in a single punch or sustain dozens of fatal wounds and be able to laugh it off. Yet despite being capable of all of this, Janus was unable to identify the singular source of his desires. Where was the justice in that? And now he had to deal with a damsel who dressed as a witch and your stereotypical good guy angel. It must have been the world’s way of spiting him.

Under cover of darkness, Janus leapt off the boulder and headed into town, his patience already spent. The demon’s moonlight complexion radiated a tender glow beneath the freckled veil of leaves, accentuating the handsome structure of his fleshy disguise. To any ordinary being, Janus was the spitting image of graceful nobility, an image which had the tendency to clash against his sadistic nature. Spotting a lapse in defence, Janus took a running jump which sent him soaring over the twenty feet high wall which served as the town’s perimeter. He glided past two guards with their backs turned and landed inside of the wall, hitting the cobblestone pavement with a soft clap. The only witness to his entry was a stray cat who scurried away upon noticing him, disappearing into some darkened crevice.

The alleyway presented itself without permission, its thick walls rising up in a parallel line to either side of him. Tall, dark and intimidating, they consisted of mottled red brick which underpinned the vernacular roofs of the locals, the economical solution to current weather conditions. Somewhere here, amidst the smoking chimney stacks and slanted gables, was his quarry. They had been sent here to investigate a slew of rumours concerning a serial killer who seemed to favour the impoverished areas in town. The victims were always found to have their throats cut prior to having their internal organs removed. Of course, local authorities had yet to capture the mysterious person.

Murder was entirely in character whenever these vengeful spirits were involved. Often these were attempts by the spirit to gain revenge for some past event. Consumed by grief, these spirits were farmers, planting seeds so that the roots of even greater sorrow could take hold. A whole network of lesser spirits could be born from the actions of a single wraith. It was a vicious cycle, but one which Janus was oddly appreciative off for it instilled purpose into his life. Unfortunately, while he had to depend on weaklings to detect his prey, Janus was not entirely helpless. The alternative was to allow the spirit to detect his own demonic presence, scaring the rat out of its hiding hole.

He exited the alleyway, entering a gloomy main street with his hands in his pockets. “Now, where are you my lovely spirits?” he murmured, licking his lips.

Nothing.

Not a bloody damned thing.

Stalking the wonderland that was Kings Avenue, Janus upped his pace to something akin to hurried. The town was a haven as far as Janus was concerned. Warm and sparkly, people dressed in tightly wound jackets, woolen clothes and colorful beanies passed by, exiting and entering in a near endless stream of darkened passages. For what felt like a dozen hours, Janus had not sensed the slightest inkling of danger, even as his own demonic energy seeped out like a bad smell. The aura acted like repellant, keeping the majority of humans outside of his personal space. After a few more minutes of mindless walking, the demon scrunched up his face and spat onto the pavement. The spirit was either non-existent or more intelligent than he gave it credit for, either way, none of that changed that fact that he was feeling extremely frustrated at the persistent lull.

Looking around for something to dispense his anger on, Janus scoffed as he heard people talking about politics, poverty, food the arts and a whole assortment of useless dribble he honestly thought was a waste of breath. How could these people be so blatantly ignorant of their surroundings? Of the danger their world was in?

“I think it’s about time to call it quits,” said the demon, sighing like a hound deprived off its dinner. Turning around, it was then that Janus noticed a conspicuous figure approaching down the boulevard. If anything was to give the exorcist known as Virie Raymbraint away, Janus would have pin-pointed the multi-layered witches hat. A patchwork of terribly ill-conceived palettes, the accessory was currently bobbing its way down the sidewalk towards him, closely preceded by the rest of her obnoxious attire. Even in this environment it was hard to miss her. Upon reaching the demon, the woman was immediately assailed by his warmest vitriol.

“Oh, hello meat sack. So nice of you to finally join me, though, with all that extra padding on I can’t blame you if you spent half that time tripping over yourself,” he scowled as his eyes fitted upon the pathetic little worm, gazing with contemptuous egoism. Janus regarded her only for a second before averting his eyes elsewhere in expectance, “Where’s the innocuous little angel? Surely he came along with you.”

Virie was little surprised at the reception but didn't find it off-putting in the slightest. Janus was a demon speciman ripe for the picking, so to speak, and a good subject to use for her observations. She hadn't deigned to ever pay close attention to Reika--at times, the exorcist had to wonder just how close that girl was to being human rather than a fully-fledged demon. She tilted her chin up, not missing a beat as she responded in an equally snide manner.

"The progress was slow but yours must've been slower if I managed to catch up with you. Tell me, still waddling with discomfort over the broom still up your ass? Careful, wouldn't want it to dig in too deep or you'll never be able to remove it." She rolled her eyes, continuing as she put a hand on her hip. "The winged offense went his own route, but I took my own precautions as to his location."

She turned on her heel, not really bothering to explain further. To others, it surely must've looked odd. There had been no proper greeting, no proper small talk--but Virie suspected this was how conduct would ensue between them. It was a change of pace from the wimps she had to deal with back at the Order. She swept her hair back from in front of her eyes casually with a yawn.

"Well, you want to stand there gawking at the boring townspeople? I'm sure her dress doesn't come in your size or color."

“If I wanted to look like a frigid bitch, I would’ve simply dressed like you,” Janus scoffed, narrowing his eyes at the back of the punitive exorcist.

The lines of his face scowled, flaunting discontent as the demon strode forwards. If not for the need to maintain disguise, Janus would have killed her for the information or worse. There was an abundance of humans to replenish exorcist numbers as far as he was concerned. Perhaps in due time.

---

---

"Huh?" The blank expression of the youkai greeted the angel as she stared back at him. She didn't really understand his concern at all, he had just been fighting this TOTALLY badass looking monster... Which was kind of cool. But also kind of sucky at the same time. Since he hadn't stayed still long enough for her to sketch out the scene and turn it into an amazing, glittering, butt-smacking awesome hentai. "Er... uh..." Oh, what had he asked? No, he hadn't asked about her yaoi collection... no one knew about that...

Oh yeah! The mistress, that was who he had been asking after. "She sent me here after you!" She giggled absently, clearly not comprehending the situation enough to put two and two together to realize they were actually in danger. "She told me to wait until she got here and then uhhhh... I guess surprise butt sex, I dunno." She said casually, shrugging her shoulders. Whatever, she didn't see what the big problem was in the first place. He was panicking for no good reason! Mistress would be here soon enough and this was prime time to grill him for answers, anyway.

"Oh hey, now that I have you here. So. Janus." She began, a sneaky grin coming on her face. (She was quite literally ignoring the horrid growls coming from the town) "He has a firm ass, right? All tight and stuff! 'Cause I saw you looking at him earlier and I was totally convinced that maybe you know, you had the uh, man hots for him. Which it's cool if you do. Because that'd be awesome."

If Ryu was even remotely disgruntled by her statements, the youkai was paying them no heed. She was going off into her own little fantasy land where Ryu and Janus frolicked through fields together, holding hands and doing other... lovely... things... Mmmm... She drooled openly, totally lost in her thoughts and completely tuning out the destruction from the wraith that would probably find them sooner than later.

---

---

Virie had kept her thin lips upturned ever so slightly as she traveled with Janus, making sure to allow him to take the lead as they progressed towards the next town over. Since there little "conversation", the two had taken to an odd bout of silence. She stared at his back openly, observing the slightly broadened shoulders and the way in which he walked. He was cocky but then again, he was a demon, of course he would be. He was certainly a good subject for her observations.

The woman tapped her chin, a smirk flashing across her face briefly as a malicious thought passed through her mind. What would he look like if she murdered him right here and now? Would he rot along with his pathetic human flesh or would his demonic form take over? Did demons even die if one murdered their little meat puppet forms? To be "fair" to Janus, he was an archdemon, so perhaps the probability of flat-out murder wouldn't be as easy or as high as she would've hoped.

Hm, but now that she thought on it, would killing him let her take his place? Clearly killing lessers would do her no good in the long run--they were mere toys in it all and easily disposable by those higher on the demon spectrum. But how delicious he would look with his flesh strewn about the ground, an expression of rage, loathing, and faint shock upon his face... Just the mental image was enough to make her shiver with anticipation. Soon, not yet. She had to observe his ways first and learn all she could before she took those measures.

She blinked, ah, they were already at this hovel of a town already? She had thought it would take longer. What an absolute pigsty this place was. She wrinkled her nose, raising the sleeve of her robe so that it covered her face. Absolutely disgusting.
Now where was that stupid familiar of hers? She did tell her to go off and find Ryu but the odds were high that the retarded demon messed up those simple orders. She took a few steps forward but it did not take her long to sense that there was something else in this shithole of a town. Her eyes almost lit up--ah, there was no mistaking it. This was no small-fry spirit. This was a wraith, a beautiful beautiful wraith that would be all hers for the taking...

She clicked her tongue at Janus. "Come dog, there is hunting to be done," She said, a little excitement rushing to her voice as she followed the scent of the creature.

Janus' eyes twitched disdainfully at the insolent welp, following the altered course of her direction. "Just make sure you keep up this time. The faster we get this over and done with, the less I have to deal with you worthless flesh bags."

The exorcist was starting to realize, with a bit of amusement, that he would probably always have a snarky remark ready for her no matter what she said to him. Good, it was always best when they put up a struggle first. "Cute and a welcome relief for us all," She said curtly, narrowing her eyes at his former comment. "Given your height, it's a wonder you can even keep up as it is. So do be sure you're not the one to bite your own words."

"Given my height?" he asked, rolling his eyes incredulously, "Then I'd hate to see you struggle to keep up. Maybe I should get your broomstick for you, your majesty?"

He was feisty, she'd give him that too. She licked her lips as a few devious thoughts came into her mind. She'd have to make good use of that later. She didn't indulge him with a response and just flicked her hair over her shoulder. She was close enough to where the ends of her hair hit him lightly. Virie glanced to the distance, squinting her eyes. It was definitely nearby, now it was just a matter as to where it was hiding.

She was about to dismiss this part of the town entirely when she heard the low rumble of the creature. Ah, there it was, her lovely wraith. Without turning to see if Janus was following her, she picked up the pace and was already taking out her spellbook. Perhaps she'd be able to eat this one if she was careful.

---

---

Sweets. He smelled sweets.

Even with his brief glimpse into this possibility, having it so close by was...

Akira entered into the room with several plates but the one that caught the demon's attention most of all was the one containing pastries. This had always been a peculiar weakness of his--he had never quite been able to figure out exactly what it was about human desserts that made him love them so. Whatever it was, he could barely even contain the enthusiasm he felt as the plate was put down on the center table.

Before the other two could even think about reaching for them, he grabbed one of the pastries quick as a flash and put the delicacy into his mouth. So soft... so airy... and creamy too. Still just the way he remembered. He adored sweets and unfortunately, they were a treat he could not acquire in Inferno. Lucian did not waste any time in snagging all the sweets, one after another. He pushed them into his mouth, unable to contain himself.

It was only when he reached the very last one that he looked up, noticing that the other two were quite literally staring at him. He had, for once, forgotten to pay proper attention. He blinked, a redness coating his cheeks in vague detail as he quietly put the last pastry down. Hm. He would have to be a tad more careful...

He leaned back gradually, crossing one of his legs over the other as he raised en eyebrow. "That was appreciated," His usual monotonous tone was broken by an uncommon smile, very small but still faintly noticeable. He took a breath, releasing it along with his smile.

"The situation in the town square remains, however," He said shortly, bring their attention back to the reason they were together in the first place. Regardless of the fact that he had assisted Akira earlier, there was still a foreign presence they would need to deal with. It would be best to take care of it in the course of the night--the creature would be more difficult to find tomorrow if the sun rose. He pursed his lips, not saying another word as he observed the other two quietly through impassive eyes.

---

---

Tch, the binds didn't hold well at all.

A frown had touched upon his lips as he regarded the exorcist behind him passively. Hm, if they were going to have a chance of winning, he was going to have to draw the heat away from the two of them and have their enemy only focus on him. He lightly stepped in front of Akira again, pushing the exorcist back slightly. He sent a look over his shoulder to signal that he would be taking over temporarily.

The humanoid wraith stayed its distance, watching, observing. So it wanted to play that kind of game, hm? He could play as well.

Lucian's dull eyes turned towards the spirit who was still pressed against the ground with his magics. He'd have to do this just right. He lifted up his palm slightly, releasing some of the gravitational pull on the creature. It wailed in pain but the demon was already used to such noises. (He did reside in Inferno, after all) Manipulating the aura around the spirit, Lucian coaxed it upwards, the spirit spitting and yelping as its body was lifted into the air.

Re-focusing his stare on the wraith, he flicked his wrist to the right--the spirit's body bridging the gap and slamming into the wraith's side. It did not seem to faze it--well, he hadn't been expecting it to. He only needed to grab its attention. With no concern for the howls or sputtered protests of the spirit, the demon continued to use its body as a means of unconventional attack.

He knew better than to apply his magic directly to the entity. He'd have to distract it first and then maybe they would have a shot...

---

---

They had followed the rumble of the creature, Janus having scouted ahead of her silently with his cocky air of superiority. The young witch was little fazed by this in the slightest. She was clearly better than he and whatever things he did to prove her wrong were, in the end, futile attempts. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes, left eye flashing scarlet. Where was that little sneak? Truth be told, she had absolutely no intention of sending this being back to Inferno. Reika had yet to turn truly serious which indicated that this wraith could not be overly powerful. Therefore... it was food.

She smirked lightly as they crossed into the deserted town center, moonlight bouncing off the fountain in the centermost area of the plaza. She crossed her arms, frowning distinctly. Now where was that stupid winged idiot? Hiding somewhere, she'd imagine. He was too much of a wimp to face things directly.

"Oi, idiot, we're here to save your sorry ass." She called out, not caring who or what heard her. Honestly, if the wraith approached them first, then it was all for the better. She'd get her hands on it one way or another.

The center of town had a fountain there, water pouring out and glistening in the moonlight. The night was ending soon. Ryu hurdled into the center of the deserted town, his breath short in his chest and Reika still clutched tightly in his fist. At that moment, he hardly cared if she was still breathing or not, so long as the annoying little thing was quiet. Not much annoyed him, but at that moment, he wasn't having a good day.

Behind him, the possessed human came crashing after him, growling inhumanly as it wildly sought to kill him. Ryu spared one glance behind his shoulder to see how close it was before turning back around. Just across the open plaza was Virie and Janus. What luck! A smile spread across his lips as he rounded the fountain and skidded to a halt next to the exorcist.

"Virie! Janus! So glad you're here! It's possessed a human, so there is little I can do with it."

Her smirk grew wide as she regarded him and the witch lifted up her skirts, striding over to Ryu and promptly kicking him down with her heel. "Stay there, useless sack." Her eyes had an amused glint to them as she stepped over him, not paying him a second glance. It was time to feast. She could almost taste it upon her tongue... it made her mouth water. Reika instantly detached herself from the angel, tripping over herself midair as she rushed to cling to the exorcist's hair.

"Mistress! He didn't appreciate my pictures of ass pl--" A single look from her master silenced the youkai who dived deeper into the long violet locks. Stupid creature.

Virie's spellbook hovered before her as the mage delicately skimmed fingers over the cover, the book skimming through several dozen pages before settling on a slightly fringed page. Yes, this would do the trick nicely. She could play off of that... She muttered a verse under her breath, the water in the fountain beginning to distort as it warbled to match her words. The water was forced against its natural flow, arcing upwards and around the marble fountain. The moonlight bounced off it, the ground progressively beginning to pick up moisture as dew and mist began to form.

She didn't want any interruptions and a little bit of fog would do the trick nicely. Already she was flipping the page, not missing a beat as she extended out her palm and delicately leaned forwards to blow air across her fingertips. A small whirlwind began to form and spiralled from her, spinning against the ground as it hurtled towards the creature. Time to see how powerful it really was.

Ryu stared up at Virie in shock. That woman... was definitely ill news. Evil. Completely evil. That was all he could think as she stepped over him and approached the growling creature. He felt his heart clench in his chest as he watched her. She was definitely up to something. Standing, he brushed himself off with a bit of hurt dignity.

"Damn that woman," he cursed, a rare occurance. He lifted his eyes again and found that he'd lost the woman in a fog that was coming off the water next to them. What was she doing!

"Virie! You're supposed to exorcise it! What are you doing?" He called out, fearful for what the answer may be.

The woman didn't bother to answer him and only laughed lightly, her dark chuckle carrying over to him smoothly through the fog.
The wraith cursed at her, the language not quite human and hardly coherent anyway. Its dark eyes narrowed at her as the magic whirled towards it. Lifting its arms, it covered its face as the power engulfed the wraith. A sharp scream filled the air, the witch's magic cutting through it. It was fighting to keep hold of the body that it was inhabiting. For the moment, it was winning, but the wraith had a feeling this woman didn't have just one spell up her sleeve.

Tsk, why was it putting up a fight? This was going to be over fairly shortly. Besides, Janus wasn't a dumbass, unlike her other companion. He was sure to be exploring and scouring the fog. Her spellbook turned to another page, the woman chanting new verses with an eerie light about her. "Hush little baby," She cooed in anything but a comforting voice. The wind spell stopped in an instant but there was no breather, the woman having focused energy within her palm.

A small orb of fire rotated above her skin and it jutted out in several different directions, miniature streams of flame all shooting out towards the wraith. The light was going to cut through the fog but she wanted this over and done with, even if she had to take a bit of a risk.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word~" She cooed again, the nursery rhyme coming off as more demonic than anything else. Reika shivered in the witch's hair--privately, the youkai hated it when her master fought. It was always kind of creepy.

The power of the witches spell engulfed it once more, almost immediately after the wind spell had faded. Her words were chilling, reminding the wraith of something akin to a demon. Was this woman even human? Probably not. Finally, it lost its hold on the human it had been inhabiting. A curdling scream echoed as it was forced out of the woman's form and into the space between the human and the witch.

"I won't go back to hell..." it growled, the shadowy form rippling around with Viries' magic, "You can't make me! I will kill you first!" It screamed then lunged at her, trying to get through her power.

Her smirk widened to its fullest--finally it was out! Now it was time to get to business. The cloak that was wrapped around her body was easily undone, falling to the ground a foot or so away from the exorcist. She pulled off her dress as well, letting that fall behind her and leaving her in a light camisole and garters. She wouldn't want to ruin her clothes, not for what she had planned. An almost savage grin unfurled on her features as she brushed her hair up, putting it into a ponytail. No, she wasn't sweating this.

The wraith lunged at her and the woman made no attempts to dodge it at all. She merely opened her arms wide as if accepting its presence and the entity made contact with her skin. It howled in triumph, as if it truly believed it had gotten through her power. How petty. A sharp laugh escaped from her lips and she wrapped her arms around her torso, still laughing uncontrollably.
Reika spun away from the woman, falling atop the bundle of clothes on the ground. "M-Mistress, isn't that a lot to--"

"Be quiet!" The woman snapped, settling her vivid eyes upon the youkai. The demon yipped and covered her face with her hands, trying to avoid her master's gaze. Still, the smile did not leave her face--she could feel it, the power that this wraith possessed. It was trying to expand itself, fill inside of her. She absolutely loved that feeling, always right before she devoured. It was simply the sweetest.

The laughter abruptly stopped and the woman suddenly froze, bent slightly backwards with her arms outstretched. Her eyes were glassy and unblinking and she could've almost been a statue for how paralyzed she looked. Slowly, very slowly, she began to close her eyes as her teeth gnashed together. Almost, it was close, almost, almost, wait for it...

And there it was, the pulse of energy at her core. Right before the wraith wrapped its clammy little hands around her mind, the woman allowed her spirit energy to pulse inwards. She heard the screams of the creature reverberate in her head but she paid it no mind. Her spirit energy was seeping inside of her body, gradually encompassing around the wraith as it began to gnaw on its essence. Soon it would be a part of her. And then her task would be complete.

---

Janus Abraxis

---

“That’s not how you exorcise a demon,” Janus huffed as he watched the ongoing spectacle. The demon stood in front of them, leaning against a store’s glass display at the far end of the plaza with the clear intention of cutting of any attempt to escape. He looked disdainful as he eyed over the feeding witch, perhaps angry even, but was far more miffed at the fact that his prey had been stolen. If anyone should’ve done the deed, it should’ve been him. Once again his fun had been snatched away moments before he could reach it.

He pushed off and strode over, heedlessly stepping on the victim’s body which still lay in his pathway. “What? Sleeping on the job already?” Janus remarked, exercising his skepticism at Ryu. The angel was in the process of clambering up of the floor, having just been laid out by a surprise delivery from the exorcist. How was he meant to kill any wraith with those abilities?

“Get up you worthless pipsqueak. This isn’t over yet.”

Approaching the statuesque exorcist in his typical manner, casually, Janus waited for any signs of possession. Hell, most demons would’ve probably killed her then and not even bothered with the risk. Just the same however, such an act should not have been mistaken as a gesture of kindness from the demon. Assuming the spirit did take over, he’d get to fight the spirit and tear up the worthless meat bag. A win win scenario in Janus’ books. Such was his amazing capacity for tolerance.

Of course, there was his duty to consider also. If the wraith remained on this world, even if consumed within her, so to would the fissure. On most occasions this would’ve been unacceptable, but once again Janus’ greed won out. From everything he'd observed thus far, the one thing Virie possessed that perhaps rivaled his avarice was ambition. The more fissures he left open, the more prey he had to fight. It was a remarkably useful coincidence overall, and one he planned to exploit until the meat bag inevitably burnt out.

"Still in there witch? Hurry up and die so I can kill both of you," he cooed in a dull tone.

Even Reika had her smart moments. As rare and as short a time that they lasted, these moments did happen. The youkai bounded up, practically throwing herself at Janus' mouth to silence him. "SHHHHHHH. You can't interrupt Mistress!" She wailed, small hands grasping on to his lips to get him to be quiet. And thus the smart moment of Reika ended for the demon began to make absurdly loud yells in her efforts to mute Janus. (By effectively speaking louder than him)

"Be quiet, you insolent demon." A low female voice sounded, though it sounded a little worse for the wear. Absorbing spirits was tiring work. She was going to need a parfait after this. Virie snapped her eyes on the bizarre duo, the male looking far more disgruntled than her own fox demon.

"Sadly for you, it just isn't my time to die yet. But have not a fear," She purred, batting her eyelashes at Janus in an almost maidenly manner. "If I do die, I'll be able to linger around you in Inferno." She wasn't even about to let on Reika's little slip-up, that she was at her most vulnerable during the absorption process. Though there was only a small window of time, if Janus were feeling particularly ambitious, he could upstart the whole process and increase her risks of actual possession. But something told her he wouldn't do that. They'd both be putting on this little charade, pretending to close rifts and exorcise spirits. A little unspoken, mutually beneficial agreement.

Janus sniffed as he plucked Reika away from his lips and flicked the tiny youkai across the plaza. At best the midget was only a minor distraction, hardly worth spending his time on. Her master on the other hand was shaping up to be a different case. Even in her rarer moments of vulnerability it seemed that the exorcist would lose none of her insolence. That was fine also, the more they fought, the more fun there was bound to be had. The question was what sort of challenge could a fragile meat bag possibly provide? Leaning forwards, Janus pocketed his hands before whispering into Virie’s ears.

“Unfortunately for you, there’s a special place in hell reserved for naughty little meat sacks,” he stated, “Limbo.”

He stepped forwards slightly, the initial sounds of his footsteps muffled by her dress as he trampled over it on the way out, probably on purpose. “Shall we report to HQ? I’d rather not waste anymore time in this boring little town,” Janus called over his shoulder, not that he’d wait anyway.

The smoke cleared but it was far too late for Ryu to do anything. Was Virie... had she absorbed the spirit? What was going on? The archangel was utterly confused, and a feeling a little sick to his stomach as he watched the woman standing there as she finished whatever spell she'd invoked. Reika lunged forward, latching onto Janus who seemed to be curious about the situation as well.

The demon tossed aside the little youkai without so much as a thought and continued walking towards the exorcist. Ryu felt a shiver cross his spine and he shuddered slightly. Something was definitely wrong with that woman and he was beginning to think that he really disliked working with the both of them. How was he supposed to do his job if those two weren't even remotely serious about the situation?

Or maybe... maybe they were a part of it somehow? No, that wasn't right. It didn't make sense. Ryu shook his head slightly and reached up to run his hand through his hair. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss somewhere in the situation he was in. Janus couldn't care less about the angel, nor did it seem that he cared about the exorcist either. Well, that was expected, the man was a demon after all.

However, Ryu had thought that the human woman would have at least had some sense of duty and care to the job given to them. Rather it seemed that she did not. Perhaps she had her own agenda to follow. That seemed to be logical in a sense, though what that was, Ryu had no idea. At the same time, he was beginning to think that perhaps he didn't really want to know.

“Shall we report to HQ? I’d rather not waste anymore time in this boring little town,” Janus shot over his shoulder. Ryu couldn't agree more, though he was pretty sure they were both eager to get back for entirely different reasons.

For a moment he thought to ask Virie what it was she'd done. A bit of curiousity overwhelming him. Even so, his mind told him not to, that he really didn't want to know. She'd done something, that was for sure, but it wasn't exorcising the spirit from the human. He felt his stomach churn a second time and he cleared his throat. Ryu nodded towards Janus, though the man had already turned around.

"Agreed," he answered.

The archangel wanted to ask his commander a few questions about the group he'd been put with. Not that he expected full answers, but maybe things would change along the way. He was hopeful anyway. As he walked past Virie, he gave her one single glance before looking away to follow Janus who was steadily growing farther away. Ryu didn't want to be left behind a second time.

"Hurry, Virie, or he really will leave you," the angel called back, hoping to release the tensions that were between them already. He hardly noticed that his hand was gripping his staff so tightly that the human's hands were growing white at the knuckles. How he wished they were back in Resmyrd already.

---

---

Lucian was met with a bizarre and slightly unexpected sight. His mind had not been on Akira at all, admittedly, or on the status of their little group.

He raised his eyebrows slowly at the sleeping male who was curled up with the cloak he had given him. Honestly. It was like looking at a large baby. His eyebrow twitched as he leaned over the exorcist. He could snatch the cloak back but that would only wake the other and he didn't want to deal with any questions right now. Besides, Akira had to rest to recover from the battle. He needed rest but... his mind was too active to allow that to happen.

There had been something wrong with that whole battle--something... amiss with that situation. The figure, the wraith, they had been fortunate to get out of it as relatively unharmed as they had. His eyebrows furrowed as he sat on the edge of the bed, clasping his hands in front of his mouth as he propped his elbows on his legs. He had to figure out what was happening. But things were so different this time around.

The demon had never been without his sight before, had never felt so... blind. He honestly didn't know how others coped with it, not being able to see into the possible futures. How they stumbled around so aimlessly without a care or thought to what was going to come to pass. And with the compounded fact that even if he used his visions, they might be unreliable... it put him in an awkward fix.

Did that mean his time magic would not be effective at all here? There was no way to test it... not without alerting anyone. He had a feeling that that man, this time around, was in touch with his time manipulation. And he couldn't let it be known that he was doubting his own powers. That was weakness--a weakness he could not afford.

He glanced at the sleeping Akira. The exorcist was still as oblivious as ever, so unknowing, so... tch. There was nothing to be done of the matter. He might as well feign sleep till the other woke up. He could live without it. He laid down in the other bed, closing his eyes as he tried to make sense out of the predicament.

Things were just one big convoluted mess.

---

---

Oh she saw it alright. The look that stupid wretch of an angel gave her. She grinned maliciously at him and tucked her hair behind her ear. If it weren't for the smile, then maybe she could've been deemed as maidenly. As it stood... she came across more as leering creepily than anything else. That demon was already walking ahead of them, barely glancing over at the duo as he started to begin on their way back to the HQ.

Ryu called back to her but she wasn't paying attention. Anything the whiny winged idiot said she did not have a care for. No. She was more interested in this demon Janus... Much more interested.

He had not said anything at all. But there had been a brief pause, a second, in which their gazes had locked. Janus had known. And his silence was all the affirmation she needed. He wouldn't be getting in her way. After all, she knew about him, she had been watching him since they had first grouped up. He loved the rush of battle and this situation with the rifts... it provided the perfect outlet for him. The perfect outlet for them both.

The only hitch in this little scenario was...

Her eyes swiveled over to the angel and she narrowed them slightly. She had to think of a way to get rid of him. To push him out of their group. There was no need for an angel--they would not be aiming to purge demonic presences anyone or anything. He would only be getting in their way. And if he were with them, then there were the odds he would be reporting back... to his even stupider commander.

She waltzed ahead of the idiot, smirking at him as she passed before falling into pace with Janus. Reika was thankfully distracted by some weed on the ground so she wouldn't be interrupted... at least not immediately.

Virie let her hand brush Janus' arm as she leaned closer to him, settling him with a thoughtful expression. "I have a proposition for you," She began smoothly, her voice silky. "While I do hate you as much as I'm sure you hate me, I feel we may just hate each other a tad less than that idiot back there," She said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"When we go back to headquarters... why don't we just leave him there? I have no use for him and he will only slow up my... ambitions. But perhaps if an accident were to... befall him when we reached Resmyrd, there would be no choice but for him to stay behind. And we, of course, as his ever-so-noble companions would carry on in his stead." She smiled back at Ryu, now in a sweet fashion before returning her gaze to Janus.

He was a demon and true to his nature. And if there was one thing demons liked more than making bargains, it was pursuing their own selfish goals.

---

---

Her face was a bright red, cheeks puffed up and eyes squeezed shut with her incoming sobs. She was still frightened, hiccuping and continuing her wails Bad things always happened when there were loud noises. Icky sounds that made her ears hurt! But then, the sun was suddenly destroyed in the sky and terrified, she opened up her eyes wide to see what had caused such a thing to happen. She hadn't tampered with the--oh! The sun hadn't exploded after all.

It was a tall man, a really tall and large man with long red hair. He must've cast a shadow since he was so big--he blocked out the sun's rays! She had thought the chiming noise had been the sun going boom but it had just been bells. She couldn't see any on him though, where was he hiding them? She sniffed, wiping at her eyes as she stared at him.

Hey, kiddo. Pst.” He pressed his finger to her forehead before removing it. With some grandiose hand gestures, the powder he had taken out of his pouch soon disappeared.. only to be replaced by a flower! She stared at it, wide-eyed at the blue petals. How had he made that appear?

“See? Why cry when the world is so beautiful?” She sniffed, not remembering when she had stopped crying. She scrunched up the corners of her dress, dabbing at her eyes as she gazed at the flower he was offering her. With her small hands, she plucked it from his and stared at it, pushing her nose right against the petals to breathe in the smell. She inhaled too quickly and sneezed off to the side, several times in fact.

She sniffled again but smiled as she looked back at the flower, oblivious to her running nose. "Are you a magic man?" She asked, deciding to put the flower behind her ear so it wouldn't get lost. If she kept it in her hands, she might accidentally crush it since she tended to hold on to things tightly. "I like magic, I can do it too!" She said excitedly, reaching into her pocket to take out her globe.

She wasn't a very complicated girl at all and rarely understood the significance of secrecy. So she had absolutely no qualms about showing off her abilities to this strange magic man who could make powder into flowers. She blew over her snowglobe, some bubbles appearing out of the other side and floating over to his face. They popped on contact with his skin and she giggled, blowing again to repeat the process.

Yes, she had completely forgotten the reason she came to Purgatory in the first place.

---

Janus Abraxis

---

"I have a proposition for you," she cooed, brushing up close to the demon. Janus’ green orbs shifted only ever so slightly from their forward position, barely millimeters, to regard the sinister touch of her arms. Whatever he felt, there was barely any indication of it as he continued to stride on emotionless, not caring to break from his strong pace. The battle was already over, why should he bother to entertain her idiotic musings? It was all a waste of air in his opinion. "While I do hate you as much as I'm sure you hate me, I feel we may just hate each other a tad less than that idiot back there."

Her violet hair flickered over her shoulders, seemingly motioning towards the subject of her conversation. Janus didn’t need to turn to understand that she referencing Ryu, the helplessly duty bound angel. For all of his shortcomings, at least the man had the decency not to annoy him. Half-regarding the short witch who insisted on remaining next to his side, Janus could only roll his eyes over.

“Uh huh,” he grumbled, swatting aside her patchwork witches hat like it where a fly. Perhaps he’d hoped that the thing would fly away far enough, taking her with it to rid him of her useless dribble. Not one to be rebuked, she stayed with him and pressed on the topic.

"When we go back to headquarters... why don't we just leave him there? I have no use for him and he will only slow up my... ambitions. But perhaps if an accident were to... befall him when we reached Resmyrd, there would be no choice but for him to stay behind. And we, of course, as his ever-so-noble companions would carry on in his stead."

There she was again. So certain, so shamelessly ambitious. You would’ve never guessed it given her diminutive stature, but he’d witnessed the intense hunger to rise in her eyes. The little meat doll just had yet to realize her place and for a second he contemplated on how best to toy with her. Did she’d honestly believe he’d allow himself to be used by her? To willingly go along with her plans? Sure he liked a fight, but there were plenty of other places to find it. More to the point, regardless of what happened here, and the lack of a closed fissure, there were countless other teams who’d eventually mop up the mess. No, Janus wanted something permanent and far more tangible than whatever Virie had offered. She was just a human, a temporary distraction.

“That’s a good idea,” he replied, creasing his brow with false enthusiasm before malice abruptly entered his tone. Bending over, he whispered into her ear, “Or~ I could just report you to our superiors and watch as you struggle sweetly. Oooh~ Maybe they’ll even give me the honor of killing you.”

Rising up, Janus smirked smartly, “Don’t get ahead of yourself meat bag. You’re just a flash in the dark, and soon, you’ll be nothing human.”

She tightened her hold on his arm ever so slightly. Yes, she had been expecting this from him. Why would be willingly agree to her plans? But she had ways to make him see her end of things. Ways to enforce precisely what she wanted. "Oh, you're cute, Janus, really. Why don't you go on and report me? Sing that the Raymbraint heir is a traitor, hmm?" She settled him with a side-long look. Even a lowlife demon such as him would be familiar with her last name. Her family had that rather flashy heritage as exorcists--most of the time, she disliked it but sometimes it came in handy.

"Your threats mean nothing to me. What could you be reporting that they don't already know? You're right, I can't offer you anything. Except maybe..." She trailed off with a hint of a smirk and retracted her touch just like that. "Oh but, you'd never accept favors from a "meatdoll" even if it were in your favor." She batted her eyelashes at him in fake offense before pulling away completely and striding ahead of him. He was already doing what she wanted anyway.

Her noticeable lack of reaction didn’t go unnoticed by him, producing a small pang of disappointment in the form of a sigh. Contrary to appearances however, he wasn’t entirely disappointed. Had she caved in too easily that wouldn’t have been fun for him either. No, Virie would continue to be the assertive, overconfident meat bag she was, flaunting the name of her family about. Personally, Janus didn’t care for such things. The only people who earned his respect were through demonstrated prowess mixed with a combination of personality (what was the fun of a rigid, stern warrior after all?). Janus ended up shrugging ambiguously, his pale features colored by a crooked smirk as his green eyes narrowed towards her back.

“Squirm. Do what you will, human,” he cooed, “It’s no skin off my back.”

---

---

Well fuck.

Lucian had been positioned on the roof of one of the buildings, having found that to be the prime spot to collect his thoughts. This whole entire trip was a complete headache. His eyebrow twitched as he straightened, a sickening feeling rippling through him for a few seconds. It had been hours since he had left Akira alone in the room and he was more than aware that the exorcist had decided to leave. The man looked a touch nervous as Lucian followed behind him, keeping a set distance. The demon wasn't that interested in pursuing Akira or addressing the previous night.

The two of them progressed through the streets, neither saying a word to the other. He was more than certain the other had caught on to his silence and that must've been primarily why conversation was non-existent. Lucian paused before Akira did, tensing as he sensed something off from a distance. The warning from Akira came late, approximately 6 seconds later than when Lucian had stopped his walk. He heard his name from the man's lips but didn't vocally respond.

The ground collapsed from underneath Akira and Lucian's eyebrows raised slowly as he watched the exorcist descend below him.
.... He was not dealing with that. No. Absolutely not.

He leaned down, catching sight o the hem of Akira's cloak as he fell. Really. This was irritating. Why did he have to deal with this? Wait, he didn't. Not at all. That sickening feeling was rising in his gut but he was going to ignore it this time. He could already feel this was a trap being laid out for him. Even if he did go down after him, he was pretty damn sure that he'd be put in an uncomfortable situation. Either way he was fucked. So why deal with it now when he could be an asshole and ditch the exorcist?

Yep.

He turned on his heel, slipping his hands into his pocket. Hm, how to occupy himself before the enemy got bored and realized that no, the demon was not coming to the party.

---

---

Virie hid her annoyance well. She was a cool woman by nature and always prided herself at being in control during all situations And she most certainly had not let that slip during her little exchange with Janus. But she was annoyed at the demon. How dare he think to question her? He should've merely conceded. But it was never quite that simple, now was it? No, he was just as proud as she, though maybe not as ambitious. She wanted far more than he could ever dream of and she was not some worthless "meat bag" who would let her life pass her by without achieving that which she had set out to do. No, she would push on. And succeed.

He would not stop her. No one would.

There was no talking on the trip back, no exchange of witty banter. She didn't look back at the other two and kept her lead. Reika had caught up to her somewhere during the adventure and had certainly tried to invoke the exorcist in conversation. But Virie was not in the least bit interested and the youkai soon gave up after being shot down several times.The trip back to Resmyrd was uneventful and by the time they saw the city in the distance, Virie was already a nice distance from the other two.

Who cared about reporting at the same time? That stench, that feeling, clearly there were angelic beings here. Ugh. She better make this fast. The first thing on her agenda would be to find Treylion, then she'd have to stomach her disgust long enough to converse with Rai and set her plan into motion. She had no intentions of leaving this city with Ryu; she could just dump him here or (preferably) leave him out to starve and have no direction to go in. He didn't belong and he never did.

She had no desire to actually fulfill her task. She was just going through the simple motions of it. And screw the consequences--she could deal with those later. She had absolutely no worries about what would happen if she were caught. She was certain she could talk her way out of any situation. Hmph.

Reika was already getting fairly excitable and had bounded ahead towards the entranceway to the Order. The exorcist rolled her eyes, clearly and evidently displeased. Ugh. Her mouth twisted into a tight smile as she laid her hands on the doors and pushed them open. She struggled a bit, the doors were several times larger than herself but she didn't let it hinder her progress. Janus was probably vying for an opportunity to get under her skin after their little discussion earlier. Bastard.

As she entered the hall, she heard a variety of excited voices and grimaced, eyebrows furrowing. Time to get this over with.

---

---

She was happy! The crumbs from the biscuits were already coating her lap completely and the small angel ate contently. She glanced over at Zee, who had taken the seat not far from her. She smiled at him, widely at that, some food bits accidentally falling from her mouth. Oops! She forgot not to grin when she was chewing. It always made such a large large mess. Oopsie! She laughed and stuffed another biscuit into her mouth with her tiny hands, scattering more of the food all over the place.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Zee walking to the door, huh? Were there people there? She paused in her eating, biscuit halfway to her mouth and another clump in her hand. There was a weird lady there, she could see her from behind the tall magic man. But her friend seemed at ease! He just plopped down next to her--Ilyana couldn't really hear what he told her all that well. All she knew was that this lady was kind of scary so she wasn't going to want to sit in her lap any time soon. Plus, that lady didn't look like she liked diapers! Which were awesome.

She took her large plate and slid off her chair, waddling slightly over to Zee before hoisting herself on to his lap with some difficulty. She squished as she sat and relaxed a little when she noticed that Rai Rai was not far behind the blindfolded woman. He let himself into the room smoothly, moving around the group with a slight nod to everyone.

"Ilyana," He began, addressing the small child. "Why don't you go into the other room and play? I will need a moment with the magic man and the woman." She wrinkled her nose at him, she didn't like being excluded!

"But Rai Rai! I wanna be in the play date too!" She protested, spraying crumbs on to the ground.in front of her. Rai smiled softly and shook his head gently.

"Not now, Ilyana. Go into the other room and I promise someone will be along to play in a bit." She puffed up her cheeks, gazing up at Zee for support. It wasn't that he ignored her but he did seem focused as well... She poutily huffed, grabbing the entire plate of sweets off the table and sliding off his lap with a plop as she landed on the floor. She didn't really understand what was going on any way and it seemed too serious for her.

The small angel let herself out of the room, proudly carrying the entire tray of desserts in front of her. Mm, yum yum! At least she could have a treat! Her displeasure forgotten, she continued along with her sweets, rounding the corner to the room Rai Rai had gestured to faintly.

"Oi wench." She stopped--who said that? She looked around with wide eyes, swallowing the biscuit she was chewing on with a large gulp. "Over here, wench." There was that word again! But she had no idea what it meant! Ilyana caught sight of a woman with violet hair, a pair of magenta eyes glowering at her from up above. The angel was confused and furrowed her brows.

"What's a wench?" She asked, the woman only rolling her eyes in response.

"Where is Treylion?" The tone was curt, a contrast to the zooming fox gliding along in the air.

"Um... you mean the scary bad man?" That was all she knew about him! He and Rai Rai sometimes met up but Ilyana knew nothing about any of that... She only knew that she was scared of him! "I haven't seen him, he's mean! But Rai Rai was in there." She pointed behind her, fingertips coated with pastry cream. The woman noticed this and wrinkled her nose in disgust, not even saying anything as she walked around the child. Ilyana stood alone in the hallway for a few seconds more before her nose began to feel stuffy. What had she done? Why had that woman been so mean to her too? It made her... really.... really sad!

And with that revelation, she started to sob again, dumping all her sweets on the ground as she bawled.