"I'm bored."
"You've already said that thirteen times in the last five minutes."
"What's your point?"
"Just putting it out there."
"Well, it's true. I don't even have anything to dissect right now." The young woman sighed, hanging upside down on the grey couch, shoulder length black hair sticking out in every direction as per usual. "It almost makes me wish that we had a Kishin to hunt right now. Anything to break the monotony."
Rolling over, she adjusted her large rimmed oval glasses, pale green eyes staring balefully at her companion. Her baggy grey sweater hung open loosely, revealing a tight black t-shirt, and a pair of loose yoga pants were hanging low on her hips. Lazily, she batted at her companion's hair, pouting slightly as she did so.
"Yuno…entertain me."
Yuno heaved a sigh, shaking his ponytail of brown hair out of the way as he bookmarked and closed his book so as to give his partner a deadpan look with dark blue eyes.
"And what exactly do you want me to do about it?" he questioned, lifting a brow. "In case you didn't notice, Aaron, we've hit the end of the line. No more official work for us to do anymore, no more obligations. But since you're bored, you could answer all the calls that Death's been sending you over the last couple of weeks. Honestly, I don't get why he'd try so hard to talk to you. You're like a porcupine."
"Like a porcupine, huh." Aaron snorted, returning to her upside down position. "If you're so bothered by the calls, then you can answer them. I'm not interested." She drawled, sulkily crossing her arms over her petite chest.
"Really? Now you're just being childish." Yuno grumbled. "It was ten years ago. How long do you plan on continuing your feud with him, exactly?"
"As long as it takes for him to grow a pair and apologize." Aaron muttered darkly. "And don't pretend that it's not that big of a deal. Let's go back in time and we'll see how you'd take it if your father experimented on you for fun as a child."
"I'm not saying that it wasn't horrifying. I'm just saying that he was considered insane at the time, and you were a victim of circumstance."
"Whatever."
Shaking his head, Yuno returned his attention to his book again, flipping to the marked page and fully intent on finishing it before the end of the day. However, just as he began to read, a chime from the mirror alerted them to yet another call from the male they had just been speaking about.
"It's for you." Yuno deadpanned, sending a meaningful look to his companion. "And for the record, I'm not going to answer it for you."
Aaron grunted in reply, which was closely followed by a string of unpleasant curses that would make most cringe, but now only made the brown haired male sigh tiredly. Obviously, there would be no getting along between the pair of them anytime soon, but he could always hope, right?
"Fine. I guess I'll get it. Again. Seeing as you're not going to and I actually have some manners." The male sighed, moving to get up, only to find himself flattened a moment later as a lithe frame tackled him to the floor.
"Don't even think about it." The black haired woman snarled, holding her partner by the throat. The brown haired male merely stared at the woman in return, raising a brow but making no move to defend himself from the currently irritated woman straddling him. Who also happened to slightly resemble a frazzled cat of some kind, now that he was up close and personal. What was mildly disappointing, however, was that this behavior didn't even faze him anymore. They'd been partners for just over eleven years; he'd had a lot of time to adjust to Aaron's attitude and borderline insane habits and behaviors.
"Alright, alright. Fine. Have it your way." Yuno said, attempting to sooth the sudden rage that had sprouted up again. "But we both know he's going to keep calling, and we both know that you want to go back for your own reasons. Plus, I'd like to get up now. My book is digging into my spine."
Aaron stared down at him with an unreadable expression for several moments before letting out a snort and releasing the male, going so far as to help him up when he silently held out a hand.
"Fine. I'll talk to him. But if you try to make me go back, I'll screw with your resonance so badly you won't even be able to use your weapon form." The black haired woman threatened, stalking over to the mirror and muttering under her breath, accepting the call.
"Hey hey hey! You finally answered me!" the ever cheerful voice of Lord Death greeted through the mirror, closely followed by his tall and gangly appearance. "It's been a while, Miss Stein!"
"I would appreciate it if you didn't refer to me by that name. It's Aaron. Use it." said woman growled, crossing her arms. "And get to the point. I know you aren't just calling me to say hello again."
"Correct, as always, my dear!" Lord Death tilted his head to one side as he clapped his overly large hands together. "Rather, there's someone else I'd like you to speak to of a very important matter that's risen here at the Academy."
Yuno shifted over to take a look at the mirror from the background, saying nothing as Lord Death moved aside to reveal a very familiar face. It was, after all, difficult to forget that face, what with the stitches and scars and the ever present screw that went right through the man's skull.
"Aaron."
"Father."
Both father and daughter stated the relations without much inflection, glasses glinting in the light. In that moment, it wasn't all that difficult to see that the pair were related- even though most others just couldn't see it, no matter how hard they tried. But given his experiences with both Stein and Aaron, it was clear as day to him.
"I trust you've been well?" her father inquired.
"As much as I can be. What is this important matter that you find so necessary to speak to me about?" the younger Stein inquired, shifting her stance to lean on one leg, her elbows resting on her hip.
"How much do you know about Black Blood?"
-;-
Yuno was quickly lost in the complicated conversation that the pair of dubbed 'geniuses' were having, but it didn't mean that he didn't follow along the best he could.
Needless to say, there was a lot about Black Blood that he found that he didn't even know, but he wrote that one off as still being young. He might be a Weapon, but it didn't mean that he automatically knew everything that went on in the world or what it all meant. Eventually, the quiet male simply settled onto the couch and waited for the conversation to wrap itself up.
"So the Black Blood essentially causes madness in whatever it manages to infect?" Aaron mused. "And you think that one of the Weapons at the Academy's been infected?"
"It's only been a couple of days, but during the treatment of his wounds, there were traces of Black Blood. If that's one hundred percent positive, then it means that we have a very serious problem on our hands."
"Does anyone know the origins of the Black Blood? Werewolves, vampires, witches..?" Aaron asked, blowing a few hairs out of her eyes as her brows furrowed in thought.
Stein shook his head. "Not that we know of, but there are rumors of it coming from the witches."
"If it's from the witches, which actually makes a great deal of sense, wouldn't it be the most logical conclusion to come to that they're trying to cause mayhem in the Academy and potentially disrupt the entirety of the Weapons and Techs out there?" the black haired woman asked.
"Possibly. We aren't entirely sure at this point, but that's why Lord Death tried to contact you in the first place. He wants you to come back to the Academy to do your own investigation; without alerting any of the staff that you're here on official business."
"You think there's a Black Blood user among the populace at the Academy?"
"It's a possibility, as I said. It's still early yet, and all of this could be for nothing, but for safety's sake, Lord Death wants you and Yuno to come back. He may be able to seek out some of the more reluctant answers, if there are any."
"Will there be payment?" the black haired woman asked, pursing her lips slightly.
"Of course. Along with room and board. You will also have all inclusive access anywhere in the Academy, given your status."
There was a long silence from Aaron, and then she turned to Yuno, raising one slender brow curiously over her glasses. The brown haired male shrugged, flicking a couple of his fingers in reply. Sighing and rolling her eyes, Aaron turned back to the man in the mirror, looking none too pleased about the results that she'd come up with. Again, however, Yuno could see that she was intrigued by this mystery.
"Very well. Expect us in three days." She stated curtly.
Stein inclined his head. "We will see you then."
Without much else, Aaron disconnected the call and stood in front of the mirror for several more minutes before she ran a hand through her hair and slammed her fist into the stone wall next to the glass. There was an audible crunch, but the black haired woman didn't appear to be affected by the pain in the least, instead keeping her features carefully blank.
"Yuno, go grab my bag. We're going out."
The male nodded, moving silently over to the table and grabbing both of their always-packed bags that were always taken with them whenever they were to travel before tossing Aaron's to her and throwing his over his shoulder.
"I take it we're going to check out the town where the attack initially occurred?" he asked calmly.
"Of course." Aaron snorted. "We need the appropriate amount of information before we go anywhere. Besides, I might as well delay my meeting with my father for a little longer."
"Of course." The Weapon agreed, opening the door for Aaron and following the black haired woman out, closing it firmly behind them.
Time for another adventure.