Evan saw her first. She had white hair and was wearing what looked like a school uniform. Her aura breathed power.
Evan growled beneath her breath. "Philippe West, yes?" The girl asked sternly. Oz and the other boy, (Presumably Philippe) jumped up in surprise. Oz beamed happily exclaiming; "Huh? You're the girl with the flowers-" the girl stared at him with an other worldly gaze. "Echo is a servant of the Nightray Dukedom." Echo took a step toward them. "By order of my master Vincent, I have come to claim that child." Echo pointed to Philippe. Oz looked bewildered.
Suddenly Echo whipped out a blade and pointed it directly at Oz. Evan stood up angrily, but Echo glared at her threateningly; causing Evan to pause. "Please surrender that child to me quietly. Or else you shall be considered a hindrance to the execution of my official duties… and as such I shall eliminate you here."
Oz covered his mouth and wobbled a bit before saying; "To think we'd meet again in a place like this… is this… could it be… Fate-" He was interrupted by Echo's anti-melodramatic answer, "Who are you?" Oz looked crest fallen.
During this entire exchange at the most inadequate moment, the pounding returned. Evan found herself in a tea room, Sharon sitting at the table drinking her tea with someone wearing a uniform.
"My lady, I've returned!" Xerxes called crawling out from underneath the table. "Oh my, oh my, what have we here? Well if it isn't Reim." Break waved towards him while Sharon nodded at Break in acknowledgement. "Y-you haven't changed a bit… Xerxes Break." Reim said somewhat flabbergasted. "Can't you come through the door like an ordinary human being?" Reim asked annoyed.
Break hopped upon the table flamboyantly swinging his legs. "Ha-ha-ha! And you're just as square as ever." He quipped in return. "…So? You going to the trouble of coming over here can only mean one thing-" Break then reached over and grabbed Reims cake and began to eat it. "Did something happen at Pandora?" He finished.
Evan focused all of her attention on what was going to happen next, it could give her some leverage, she ignored Echo and Oz.
Reim glared at Break. "It has to do with the illegal contractor we captured the other day." Break brought a frosting covered finger to his lips, smiling he replied, "'Grim,' yes? My lady and I were planning to come by and look in on him tomorrow! He's an important clue to tracking down the head hunter after all! I must say I am very much looking forward to-"
"He got away." Reim stated quietly. Break licked the plate in silence before looking at Reim; "Huh?"
Reim fumed in embarrassment. "I'm saying he got away!" He cried.
"This afternoon, at two o'clock. He fled after killing his six guards. As of now we still do not know Grim's whereabouts." Reim concluded indignantly. Break looked at him in innocence. "You are so… useless" Break and Emily stated in unison. "What was that!" Reim demanded.
"Well, he was wounded right? That's why we were waiting for him to recover and all!" Break explained.
"Well… we do admit our negligence but…!" He began not knowing how to finish. Sharon smirked. "Reim you may consider that person over there to be like air. So please, will you not continue?" she asked gently. Break hugged Emily to his chest and began kicking his legs whispering 'AIR' over and over again.
Evan grinned; he could be cute when he wanted to be.
"Pandora is currently looking for Grim but-" Reim started before Break interrupted him, "Wouldn't you say he's already in the town of Reveil?" suddenly he brought his fingers to his lips and began laughing darkly. Break sat up pulling on Sharon's hair. "Listen my lady! I just have this feeling that things are going to get most interesting!"
Evan jerked up when Echo began sprinting after a fleeing Philippe and Oz began chasing after her. "I zone out for one second and look what happens!" Evan cried after them, she started running an extremely annoyed Aamir following suit. "What is it? Please do not follow me." Echo called back.
"Well… but I can't just let this go…" Oz replied.
"Please leave me alone. You are being a nuisance." Echo stated.
"A nui-" Oz cried and gripped Echo's arm, "I said wait, what in the world did that kid-" Suddenly Echo whirled and pointed her blade at Oz's throat. "I have already told you… that I will eliminate you if you interfere." Evan ran up and stood next to Oz. Echo looked down at Raven's hat which Oz had dropped next to his feet. "That hat is…"
Oz looked at the hat. "Ah, I borrowed this from Gil…"
Echo began to lower the blade, "Might you three be… a friend of Gilbert's?" She questioned.
Oz spun in a circle. "It's nothing as simple as all that, you hear! Because you know I'm… Gilbert Nightray's… owner!" He cried. Aamir grumbled something along the lines of 'liar' but Evan pulled his tail causing him to be quiet.
"Owner?" Echo questioned unsure.
"In other words, Gil owes me his life, I teach him about life, and Gil can't live his life without me!" Evan thought that was a bit… over exaggerated.
Echo visibly paled; "I see…" Echo began to bow, "Please forgive my ignorance."
"Ah! No, no! Don't worry about it…" Oz muttered in reply. Echo looked at Evan wearily. Oz noticed and stated matter factly, "Don't worry she's his… maid servant." Evan glared daggers at him. "Right so…! Put that thing away and explain what's going on please?" Oz said twitching as he grabbed her shoulders. "Yes… very well. If I hurt Gilbert's benefactor… Echo will be scolded by Vincent." Evan cocked her head at the name, she was quite certain she had heard it before. "But this mission has nothing to do with you… so if you will excuse me." She turned and ran off.
Oz immediately followed her, Evan sighed before going after them both. "Hey wait up! Well… we just got to know that kid now… but we talked… we identified with him… and felt that I couldn't leave him alone… so if we care for him… then this is our business too, right!" Oz cried. Echo stopped, keeping her back turned. "At present, Echo is chasing an illegal contractor who has escaped. If you wish to follow, then do as you please." Echo leaped from the ground onto a wall, "However, should you be dragged into Echo's mission and die in the process, it has naught to do with Echo." Echo turned to a surprise stricken Oz. Oz clutched Raven's hat closer to himself. Evan felt the pounding beginning to return. She pushed against it, suppressing the conversation that she was about to unwillingly witness. She suppressed it successfully until she lost the will power; she came in at the end of the conversation.
"Too bad for you, Raven." Alice stated citing her apple. "It's too late!"
Evan ran after Oz, who in return ran after Echo. "Hey, wait, Eko!"
"It is Echo." She corrected him.
"What you were just talking about… what are you going to do, after you've captured the illegal contractor. There's no way you'd kill him right? Not a little kid like that!" He yelled, Echo looked at him questioningly. Suddenly Echo seemed to spot something and she leaped off of the wall that rode along the canal landing with a thump on Philippe. "Captured." Echo stated.
"Benefactor. It would seem that you have misunderstood one thing. This child is not the contractor." Oz stared in shock while Evan sighed in relief. Aamir just looked on uninterested. Suddenly a loud boom resonated around them. "What was that!" Evan yelped.
"Most unfortunate." Echo sighed. "It appears I have apprehended the hostage for nothing." Suddenly Echo looked at Oz, "So… the contractor of the chain Grim is not this child… it is his father." Suddenly Echo began sprinting toward the place where the noise came from, this time Evan and Oz ran with her, not after her.
Upon approaching another wall Evan could hear Raven and Alice, "You are… worthless!" Alice was screaming, "I don't want to hear that from you!" Raven replied angrily. Echo jumped off the wall directly over their heads, Oz and Evan stood on the wall watching. Echo had slashed the chain Grim with her blade, then completed quintuple twirl. She looked in surprise at Raven, "Gilbert?" She stated dumbly. "Echo is that you!" Raven called, "Raven, Alice!" Evan called.
"Evan… Oz!" Raven said surprised.
"Uh, what're you two doing?" Oz questioned. Suddenly he looked at the contractor of the chain in horror; Evan stared at the man with a look of disgust. "That's Philippe's father." She whispered.
"It can't be…" Oz muttered gripping the wall. Echo avoided another attack by Grim, "Stop it! You can't fight it alone!" Raven cried, Grim reed up and slapped Echo away, then turned and slammed into the wall where the three of them were watching. "Oz, Evan!" Raven cried running toward the falling rubble. Evan pulled Oz and Aamir to her chest and pushed herself back first in order to cushion the fall. Evan was almost stupid she heard Aamir address her as the rubble fell around them, "I contracted with a reckless human. What joy." Evan smiled faintly, if he could be sarcastic, then he and Oz would be fine.
The rubble didn't feel like it should Evan noticed. She turned her head and saw a patch of black hair. "How Raven?" She whispered. He grunted in reply.
Insane laughter brought her attention, "Aah, You're the only one left… B… B-rabbit!" Philippe's father yelled. "Heh-heh… H-h-how should we devour her, Grim? Should we devour her after we squash her flat?" The man cooed. Alice was silent before she wrapped her arms around herself and smiled righteously. "I'd prefer being torn to pieces." She said childishly.
"What?" the man asked.
"Ha, don't worry… I'll chop you into nice little bits… so your sorry figure improves a bit!" she cried grasping a dagger. Evan could feel Raven stir and raise his hand to Oz's head. "Aamir… attack." Evan commanded in a dangerously low voice.
Alice and Aamir changed simultaneously, the incuse beneath Evan and Oz's shirts seemed to glow, as Alice turned into a giant rabbit and Aamir transformed into a black swarm of what could only be described as locusts. "Get out of my sight! You piece of shit!" The B-rabbit demanded as she attacked Grim. "Yes, please do." Aamir agreed in a thousand miniature voices as his swarm circled around Grim's face. Raven slumped against Evan causing her to fall to the side, she groaned gently.
Oz jumped up, "No…Alice, Aamir! Stop attacking the chain!" Oz screamed. Evan crouched and stared at the man. Every time the chain got hit, the same damage seemed to be given to the contractor. "Aamir, come." Evan whispered. He reluctantly pulled away and came back to her in his original monkey shape.
"How could you! he sinned by mocking me… and I shall make him pay with his life!" The B-rabbit cried as she ran at Grim. Oz began panicking clutching his chest. Evan looked at him in surprise. She had learned how to control chains by watching… at the ceremonies she performed others ordered theirs around with an air of command. So she took to that.
Oz closed his eyes sleepily leaning back, Evan stared at him in confusion, and suddenly he opened his eyes in anger. "Stop! ALICE!" He screeched. To Evan's surprise the B-rabbit disappeared and in its place Alice appeared falling down landing with a thud. Alice looked at them in shock. Oz suddenly stood up and began to make his way to the man.
Evan attempted to grab him, but she pushed her off. Evan turned to the unconscious Raven. She sighed and began to shake him gently. Oz rushed towards the man. "Stay back!" He cried pointing a gun at Oz, Oz dodged it easily. "Oz!" Alice cried. "Damn you Raven, wake up!' Evan cried frantically beginning to shake him more violently. "Why… did you become an illegal contractor…!" Oz demanded. The man aimed his gun and shot again, this time skimming Oz's cheek. Alice paled.
"Ha-ha-ha! Why did I enter into a contract with a chain? It was to change my past of course!" The man cried out maniacally. Oz stared out to the side. "If… I had not believed my friend's words… my family would not have been ruined. I would not have become so miserable… my wife wouldn't have gotten sick, and I would've been able to make Philippe happy! Yes… I… Killed people for my son's sake!" the man yelled angrily.
Evan felt her body return to that age where her father would throw her down the steps if she failed to bring the snacks to his guests in less than thirty seconds. When she had asked him why he punished her so often he had replied that it was for her sake. "Liar, Liar, Liar." Evan whispered.
"For Philippe's sake?" Oz whispered, suddenly his face contorted into an ice cold rage that made Evan shiver. "Are you… are you serious about that? Are you?" Oz yelled forcing his way so that the gun was pressing against his head. "H-how… could you understand anything about me?" The man cried.
"Yeah I don't know anything about you."
This isn't like you, you're being reckless stop. Evan wanted to scream, but she had long since lost the courage to even whisper.
"Why… Why aren't you with Philippe? Why aren't you by his side? You care about your son! So… why are you making him suffer like I did?" Oz screamed clinging to the man's shirt. Evan covered her face with her hands and whimpered quietly; alone, miserable, suffering, doesn't belong. Those feelings were all too familiar. Regaining her composure she turned back to Raven, while Aamir watched her curiously.
"That child… only… only wished not to be alone… just being with him… just that! Just that would have been enough!" Oz yelled as a tear streamed down his face. Alice looked at him confused while Oz pushed off the man and brought his hands to his face.
Evan grunted in frustration, Raven wasn't responding. In a lack of inspiration she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Oz, Evan, Alice, and Aamir are in danger. Go save them." Raven stirred slightly he brought his hand to his head in a tired fashion. Evan Grinned at him. "Please go see… Philippe." Oz said quietly to the man. Raven jerked up and cried out, "Oz!" Raven shipped out his gun and pointed it at the man, Oz jumped in front of him in defense. "Don't shoot him!"
Blood appeared out of the man's temple as he crumpled to the ground bleeding. Oz stared forward in shock; Alice attempted to get up, while Raven looked forward in horror. Oz turned to see the man's body. Evan and Raven rushed forward Raven grabbed Oz and forced his hand on his head; Evan ran to Alice and helped her up. "Stop it… don't touch me… why… why did you shoot him!" Oz cried in angry confusion. "This man was already… I didn't do it! I didn't shoot." Raven said to Oz.
"I shot him."
Everyone turned to see a man with white hair, in a black uniform similar to Reim's. "Because that child was about to be killed. In any case, that man… was either going to drop into the abyss of die. Those were the only alternatives left for him." The man said as if this explained everything. "So this… was the right thing to do." The man said looking up, Evan gasped. She had seen those eyes before; red and green, hard to forget. But where she couldn't remember. "Vincent!" Raven said, surprised.
Oz and Evan looked up at the man in shock. Alice glared at him in hated while Aamir seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Vince, is your carriage still here?" Raven asked. "Yeah… nearby." He replied. "I want to have them rest in a safe place. Let me borrow it." Raven stated. "No, Gil… I… Philippe…" Oz began before he was cut off by Raven gripping his shoulder tightly. "Sure. Gil, I'd be happy to… do anything you ask of me." Vincent replied happily.