"Anyway, I was pretty surprised when we were introduced to the boss." Basho spoke up from his position between the front of the door and the huge windows that lined the walls of the aircraft.
On the other side of the door, Baise stood with her hand on her hip. Melody and Kurapika were stationed on both sides of the entrance of the hallway only a few meters from where Basho and Baise stood. Divya stood in between Melody and Baise, having no other entrances to guard.
"No kidding. . . They called her an important figure in the underworld, so I was expecting someone intimidating, but she turned out to be a cute little girl." Baise spoke up next; Divya could already tell which of her teammates were the talkative ones and which ones kept their emotions under control- for the most part. Divya's a part of the latter.
Basho grunted in agreeance, and then all fell silent once more. Enjoying the temporary silence, Divya wiggled her hand to make Pocci climb onto her shoulder and then curl up on top of her head like a cat. Entertaining herself completely, she repeatedly bends and flexes the index and middle finger on that same hand and make him stretch himself out.
"Why do you keep playing with that toy?"
She slowly curls her ring finger so that Pocci's head would turn at the same time as hers, locking her eyes with Basho's. She closed her eyes and made Pocci shake his head, the now familiar creaking noise resounding in the small hallway.
"He's not a toy."
Basho sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Fine, then. Why do you keep playing with him?"
"He's my weapon of choice."
"Weapon?" Melody's soft voice piped up next to Divya, and she couldn't help but smile; the two of them easily got along.
"Yes, weapon. I've modified and outfitted him with various compartments."
"How interesting!" Melody smiled at Divya and tilted her head, trying to get a better look at him. Out of the corner of Divya's eye, she saw Kurapika's eyes strained on her, although he tried to make it as discreet as possible. "How do you move him?" She looked at Melody in the face, a ghost of a smile apparent on her face.
Divya made her way over to her and flicked her hand. Pocci flew off her head and into the air, stopping right at Melody's eye level. "Sweep your hand over him."
Gingerly, Melody hesitantly moved her hand above Pocci's head and waved it, slightly disturbing the material that connected him with Divya. "Oh! Is that some sort of wire? It can't be, though. . . it's too soft."
"Thank you."
Melody looked at her with a bewildered expression. "Why are you thanking me?" Divya grabbed a lock of her blackhair between her thumb and index finger with her free hand, shook it a little, and smiled once more, hoping that she would get the hint. "It's your hair?!"
At this point, Divya could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she carried on her conversation with Melody nonetheless. "Yes. I strengthen them with a thin coat of a special chemical that my Grandfather formulated to make the strands strong and pretty much unnoticeable. I place the other end of the strand on the tip of my nail and seal it with Nen and the same chemical, but tinted. I can attach and reattach them at will."
"How interesting. . ." She began to move various parts of Pocci, studying his detail work. "Did your grandfather make him as well?"
Divya's control over the wooden horse slightly faltered, but she quickly regained control. "Yes. . ."
Melody hummed in response, her eyes darting around the marionette quickly. Eventually, she stopped examining him and closed her eyes, seeming as if she was listening closely to something that Divya couldn't.
"Kurapika-san?" Divya called his name while Melody was deep in thought, only because she could feel his eyes practically burning the side of her face. "Do you want to see him as well?" She shifted her line of sight over to his direction, both of her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"No. . . Well. . . Yes, but not now. We have to focus on our job of protecting the boss." Kurapika went back to his rather cold demeanor and stared straight ahead, ignoring the looks he was getting from Baise.
"You're just frustrated because she ignored your question back at Boss's place." Baise spoke up from her position, arms now folded in front of her chest. "It was actually kind of amusing to watch her smile and walk away like that. Good job, girl!"
Kurapika ignored her tauntings but clenched his chained fist, trying to hold in any comment he was tempted to make. Baise came close to making yet another condescending remark, but Divya stopped her by vigorously making small shaking movements with her head. Baise sank back into her position with a sigh, but she was obviously miffed.
"Alright, then." Baise and Bancho both looked directly at Divya, intrigued. "I'll tell you."
"You don't have to, Divya-san. It's all right."
Divya waved her hand in the air to dismiss Melody's concern, closing her eyes in order to think of what to say. ". . . I've done some. . . miscellaneous work for various Mafia groups, including a few of the Ten Dons. Light Nostrade apparently recognized and hired me because of my reputation. In the end, I'm just another hunter." She kept her eyes closed and flared her nose slightly, a nervous habit she can't ever seem to shake.
Everyone stared at her with an odd look on their faces, the exception being Kurapika; he simply looked. "Why associate with the mafia? They're a dangerous group to be involved with, you know; too dangerous for a young lady such as yourself."
"I appreciate your concern, Basho, but there's two simple reasons why I seek jobs from the mafia. I get paid very handsomely, and I get some extra information every once in a blue moon."
"Information?" Once again, Divya gained Kurapika's undivided attention.
"I'm trying to find a certain individual. . . Someone who definitely can't be found without some outside help. "
". . . And who might that be?" Kurapika's tone developed an icy edge.
Divya opened one of her eyes for a quick second to glance at Kurapika and closed it just as fast. "Okay, that's where I'm going to have to ask you to please stop; I feel as if I'm being interrogated."
An air of tension seemed to immediately materialize, lasting the rest of the duration of the aircraft ride.
When they landed, a multitude of flashy, silver luxury cars were waiting for the group, the drivers already in position. "Neon-sama, after you."
Dalzollene guided her away from the bodyguards once more and opened up the door of their car, trying to get to the hotel as fast as he could possibly manage.
"Do I have to sit with you, Dalzollene?! Why can't I sit with another person? I bet they will be tons more fun than you are." Neon refused to get into the car, much to everyone's dismay.
"Neon-sama, I'm sorry, but I can't have that happen. You have work you have to do." The head bodyguard quickly and gently pushed the teenage girl into her seat, closing the door and yelling for the driver to lock it.
He quickly made his way over to the other side once he made sure it was indeed locked, closing the door around the same time as the other bodyguards got into their cars.