Ryu D'Tari's Story

It had been so long since he'd seen Paridiso. Of course, even so, he wasn't there, only in mind, only his essence was there. Ryu had been living with the human boy for fifteen years,

He could only see the gates though, as he was still technically down in Arkanvale, he could not enter Paradiso. Rather, he'd felt the call of Kiy, the gatekeeper. Something was happening, and it had to have been big if Kiy was calling him.

As his essence approached the gates where Kiy always stood watch, he noticed other lights floating there as well. These were many other essences' of Angels who had gone down to Arkanvale and taken a human body host. As they all neared Ky, and himself as well, their forms shimmered into something more Angelic rather than a ball of light energy.

As always, Kiy smiled at them, his presence giving off a sweet smell and calming the area around them. Ryu forgot how much he missed that feeling. He slowed his advance and hovered in front of Kiy, a smile on his ghostly face as he glanced about the others.

"I called you here because we've been charged with a very important task. If you haven't noticed already, there are Spirits and Wraiths escaping Inferno at an increasing rate. We don't know exactly what has caused this, but we need to help stop it as soon as possible.

"Our Commander has charged you all to awaken fully in the human host you've taken and head to the Order of Exorcists. As Angels, you cannot Purge a Spirit or Wraith from a human's body, thus you need the help of the Exorcist.

"Inferno is also sending their Demon's to meet with the Exorcists as well. The Demon's are the only ones who can seal the breaks in their gate. They will need help as well to exorcise the Spirits and Wraiths.

"If you cannot get the entity to return to Inferno, then you must destroy it. Only an Angel can do this, the Demons can help you to fight it and even immobilize it. However, they cannot destroy them. Be careful, these Spirits and Wraiths are tricky and can be deadly.

"Now head to Resmyrd, where the catacombs for the Order of Exorcists lay. There you will meet your future companions. I bid you luck in this endevour," Kiy gave a small wave of his hand, his brilliant blue eyes still dazzling to look at.

Ryu doubled over in a bow and then allowed his essence to fall back to the young man he'd taken over. Once he was there, he unlocked his Angelic side, slowly ebbing into the boy, his holy power filling the human body. At first the young man was startled, but Ryu comforted him telling him that he was an Archangel, sent to help save the human race from Wraiths.

He allowed the boy to see Ryu's form in his minds-eye. That seemed to calm him even more, and soon, Ryu had control over the body. He silently promised the boy that he would not allow him to feel anything at all should things go sour during his journey. With that he pushed the boy's conscious down further and let the human soul sleep.

Ryu opened his eyes, viewing the world from the human's body. He smiled and looked down to his hands. He flexed them, feeling his Angelic power rushing through him. It wasn't as much as he was used to, but it would be more than enough. Standing from the tree's trunk where the boy had fallen asleep, he looked out into the open country side.

Resmyrd wasn't far from where his human host lived. At most it would be an hour to get there and meet with the Exorcists. Ryu started out immediately, picking a good, quick walking pace.

---

"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.

Ryu D'tari

Ryu sighed, putting his face against his palm. Not only had he not noticed that the demon they had been paired with had left him and their pretty little exorcist, but he also lost the girl as well after having tried to find Janus. Or maybe it had been the other way around. Perhaps Virie had left him on purpose, much like Janus had. What was that all about? Wasn't he likeable enough? Or maybe it was because he was too likeable. He knew that some demons tended not to enjoy the company of angels all that much, but Janus was in a league of his own really.

"As if things could get any better," Ryu muttered to himself as he continued walking. He figured that Virie would catch up to him when she felt like it, if she even did at some point. He wondered about her becoming an exorcist. Wasn't she supposed to be doing them all a service? Really it seemed like she wanted to become something other than an exorcist, one that purged the souls of spirits and wraiths. She had the attitude befitting of a demon. Maybe that's what she was striving for? Such a strange thing to want when one was a human. Ryu shook his head, no that couldn't be it. It would be impossible too for her to become such a thing. Either you were born a demon or not.

The archangel sighed as he walked towards a town that was a few minutes in front of him. It was dark out and the moonlight shone down on him. The silver light illuminated his body and he wished to stretch out his wings so that they could catch the light as well. His lips turned into a smile as he looked up at the beautifully pitch black night sky. The stars glistened along the velvety black blanket, sparkling across an expanse that he and his fellow angels often flew through. The feeling of flight was euphoric and he felt a deep longing to have it again.

A sigh left him once more and at that moment he entered the city. Two of the guards nodded at him as he passed, Ryu was pleased that his charm had let him pass, normally in the dead of night none were allowed entrance into the towns without having a million questions asked to them. Perhaps is was the work of his Lord as well, allowing him easy passage. He silently thanked his Lord for that. Ryu strode forward in search of his demonic companion, hoping to find him soon before anything important or serious happened.

The town he wandered through had an eerie feel to it though, and the archangel felt chills slowly spreading across his skin. The feeling trailed down the back of his neck, straight down his spine and spread from them, making his human body shuddered involuntarily. He rolled his head to shake the feeling and continued on down the street. However, Ryu reached over to his side and pulled his staff out, having it in hand felt better than having nothing. The sharp dangling pieces of metal along the top of the staff chinked together as he moved, the stone in the center swirled around on its own energy.

Ryu flicked his gaze from one side to the other as he walked. Nothing came into sight though, however he couldn't shake the feeling that something evil was watching his every move. Slowly he came to a stop some ways down the main street and decided to turn around to see if anything was indeed behind him. The archangel felt a bit of dread at what he saw behind him. Though it was a human, there was the distinct feel of evil intentions directed towards him. Without Virie there to exorcise the spirit inside, he had no way of acting out to subdue the thing. Ryu didn't wish to harm the human either but as it looked, things were going to escalate into a fight no matter what he wanted.

The human's eyes were glazed over, the moonlight reflecting the dead-like look in their hazy blue gaze. The body straightened a bit and the arms outstretched, fingernails growing in length grotesquely. The human lunged forward then, rushing Ryu with inhuman speed. Ready for the attack, Ryu sidestepped and let the human pass him, using his spear to deflect the swiping claws that aimed for his chest. The archangel frowned as he turned and followed the possessed body. If only Virie were here... he thought to himself.

The human turned and hissed at him, the sound unnatural coming from the male's mouth. Hunched over, it shot at Ryu again, swiping a second time, but instead of overshooting, the possessed being stopped and engaged Ryu in close combat. The archangel grimaced as he twisted his spear from side to side, deflecting the striking claws. Stuck in a terrible position, he refused to hurt the human. All he could do was wait for either Janus or Virie. Hopefully the exorcist came before the demon, and hopefully she actually exorcised the spirit rather than just watched like he feared she might do. Ryu bit his tongue, reprimanding himself. He didn't know the woman all that well, why was he judging her so much so on first impression? He had to believe in her. He had to.

Luckily, the rib cage was not broken, but bruised none-the-less. Akira was without his shirt and long black coat with the exorcists symbol stitched into the back. Rather he was sitting on the edge of the bed working to clean the cuts along his chest. The bowl of water he had next to him was dirty with blood and the cloth he held in his hand was no longer white in color but a rustic brown instead. Pushing the cloth into the wounds, he pulled across the cuts, cleaning them out as best he could. Each time burned, but with practice he kept the discomfort to himself.

Stealing another look off to the side he spied Lucian for the millionth time since entering the inn and getting a room. He was still curious as to what he'd seen in the alleyway. The two hard barely spoken to each other during the three days they'd traveled together, so it was only natural for Akira to assume the man had no care for anyone. However, that seemed to be thrown out the window from the incident in the alleyway. Akira winced, hissing in a breath as he had not been paying attention to what he'd been doing. Rather he'd been staring at the demon and dug too deep into the cuts. With a bit of a half growl to himself he withdrew the cloth and plunged it into the water with vigor.

The liquid splashed around, soaking his arm and getting onto the floor. He ignored the demon if Lucian looked over at all. The last thing he wanted was for the man to see his embarrassment. Wringing the cloth out, Akira got back to work at cleaning. He was nearly done. With a release of air through his nose he was mildly surprised that the spirit had dealt him a fairly good blow. The claw marks were much longer than he thought they were. It took him a few minutes more before he was satisfied with his work and tossed the dirtied cloth into the bucket.

Not even bothering to wipe his chest dry from the trickling water he looked over to the bandages that they'd gathered from the inn keeper (cost them a pretty coin, but it was something). Akira began wrapping them around his chest, or rather, he tried to wrap them but failed three times in a row. On the third failed attempt, he tossed them aside and reached for his shirt instead. Forget wrapping the damn things. They would heal on their own without the bandage. Glancing over to Lucian he finally asked the demon a simple question to try to start a conversation.

"Will Sangre find where we are?"




Ryu twisted around, just barely missing yet another lunge at him meant to rip him apart from head to toe. His staff twisted around, deflecting the claws that came swiping at him. His eyebrow came down as he eyed the possessed human. Was he really going to have to do this all by himself? He couldn't hurt a human! There was no way he could exorcise one either! Where was his exorcist? The demon... where was the demon too? Had they both really just abandoned him? The archangel pushed aside the degrading thoughts and did his best to focus on the fight.

He had to get away from the human somehow. He had to find Virie, bring her back to the town and have her exorcise the being so that they could capture the spirit inside. At least... Ryu was hoping it was a spirit. If it was a wraith, then they had bigger problems than what he'd originally thought. As the creature came back at him using the human's body as it's shield, Ryu shifted and batted its hands away. However, as he turned he caught sight of... something moving by. Was that? No... it couldn't possibly be her... She wouldn't leave Virie's side, would she? Ryu blanched at the thought. It was decided then, he knew it.

The exorcist woman was definitely evil.

He would have let his head fall into the palm of his hand right then if he weren't in the middle of a fight. Instead of coming herself, Virie had sent the most un-helpful being possible. Reika.

The night was slowly going to be turning to morning, the cool breeze fluttered through the trees as the figure walked through the sparse wood. They seemed to have no particular destination in mind, at least at first. Then as the woods became a little bit thicker, an outcropping of boulders appeared at the center of the area. Here the figure stopped and knelt down next to the rocks. A gloved hand reached out and brushed the boulders almost as if they were precious. A slight glow filled the area, symbols swirled around, carving their way into the rocks that piled up on one another. After a few more moments, the rocks shuddered and lifted into the air.

The figure stood then, took a few steps back and watched the display. Beneath the tumble of stones was a gate, a dark gate that amassed and swirled with power just beneath the pile of boulders. It wasn't just any gate that sat there either, it was one of the gates that led to Inferno. A sharp scream pierced the air then and as the rocks shuddered, so did the gate. Lifting their hands, the figure spun their fingers in a circular pattern. More symbols of power etched their way through the dense air and penetrated the dark portal. The screams erupted and a multitude of spirits and wraiths washed forth. The air exploded backwards with their escape, making the trees groan and the boulders scatter through the area.

The dark clothed figure watched silently, the cowl over their face lifting to observe as the beings took to the air. They were released from their torment in Inferno and they were hell bent on doing whatever pleased them. Nothing would bring them back, nothing. Stretching a hand forth, power emanated through the air and the magic curled around one of the fleeing wraiths. With a flick of his wrist he brought the wraith downwards and held it in place as it struggled. The inhuman growl did nothing to put off the figure and instead it seemed that the cloaked being ignored it completely.

"You're going to be something special," the voice that pierced the air was male and coming from the cloaked being. The wraith twisted and turned in the hold that the man held on it. Magic pulsed through the air and pumped into the wraith that was being held. Its cry of surprise echoed all around and a few moments afterwards, the wraith stopped moving. The man regarded it carefully before letting it go. As he stepped towards the creature, the wraith lifted its head and gazed at the man with dark hollow eyes.

"I want you to destroy those that call themselves exorcists and anyone else that may be with them. Is that clear?"

The wraith sucked in a deep breath. The dark mass of energy twisted around as it reformed its body. Long arms stretched forth from the darkness, legs as well and a tail. The face was elongated and there was no mouth for the moment but that soon changed. Along with the rest of its body, long ears sprouted from its skull and a second after, lips parted the darkness to reveal a pitch darkness surrounded by black razor sharp teeth made of pure energy.

"Master," it's inhuman voice hissed passed a tongueless mouth.

"You're free to use any means you wish. Just kill them all."

The wraith stretched its hands forth and extended its elongated claws. The creature gave a sharp cackle as it tested it's new found power given to it by the man before him. Dark magic flooded the area, turning what was once living to nothing but blackened death. The man's hood nodded up and down slightly in appreciation for the wraiths quick take on his power. The wraith looked to the man and pulled its lips into a cruel grin, "Consider it done."



There was a slight knock on the door before it was pulled open and Akira's gaze lifted to see who it was. At first he was tense, but upon seeing it to be Sangre, he settled. Of course it would be the angel. The exorcist finished buttoning up his shirt and hoped to god that Lucian wouldn't insist on his wrapping them. He could only imagine the scene... Quickly he pushed the thought aside and stood up slowly, still weary from the loss of so much energy. Food and a bit of sleep would do him good.

"What did I missed exactly here?" Sangre asked.

"I went after a spirit and lost it. It overpowered me too quickly," Akira replied shortly, not keen on giving too many details. The night had been rough enough the last thing he wanted was both Lucian and Sangre on his case about failing to secure a single spirit. Not that Lucian had said anything of the kind, but Akira was sure the man had at least thought it once. With a sigh, the exorcist pulled on his long black jacket that went over the white shirt beneath and buttoned it up. Once dressed he moved passed Sangre and opened the door.

"I'll be right back. I'll bring something for you both to eat as well," and Akira left the room, closing the door gently behind him. He took the stairs quickly, making his way down to the bar area and went to the tender of the inn. He waited patiently for the man behind the table to address him and once he found out what the menu was he ordered a few things. With the help of a pretty little waitress, he went back up the stairs with three platters of food for the three of them. Cheese, meats and some pastries along with some water and ale for him.

Opening the door again, he stepped inside with the waitress and motioned for her to put the platters down on the table with him. When that was done Akira paid her for the food and she left. Without waiting for the others, the exorcist took his cup of ale, a bit of cheese and meat along with one of the pastries and sat down to eat.



"Reika..." Ryu panted as he was once again locked in a struggle of strength with the possessed human, his teeth ground together as he watched the poor human try to kill him, "A little... help please!" He called to the bond. Not that he expected much from her, she wasn't all that bright to begin with. The best he could hope from her was a bit of distraction so that he could disengage from the possessed human and make his way to where Reika's owner had gone.

With a roll of his eyes, he shoved the human away from him and decided that his best course of action was to rely on himself. However, what did make things better was that Reika was there and she could lead him to Virie. With the human stumbling away from him he turned on his heel and rushed across the street to grab Reika who was no doubt just sitting and watching the display. How utterly useless... Never had Ryu thought that he would utter those words to a being, but this bond was something else entirely. He wondered briefly how Virie managed the little sprite.

Quickly, the archangel grabbed the girl around her tiny little waist in one hand and started to run through the alleyways. The creature followed behind them, intent on killing the angel by whatever means possible. Ryu hoped that Virie would exorcise the human, thus allowing him to destroy it. Or if Virie had somehow managed to find Janus, then they would be able to bring the spirit back to Inferno. That was, if the spirit allowed them to. Pushing aside those thoughts, he ran through the streets with Reika in hand.

"Alright missy, tell me where you lovely master went!" He ordered as he took another turn down an alleyway.

---

---

"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.

---

---

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.