Near the end of the semester and all, nothing else to say besides that. Well, lot's of work to do.
That's about it.
Of Sizzling Foxes and Emergencies
«»
(Inuba POV)
I let out a quick sigh of relief as I set down the bag of groceries on one of the tables in the kitchen just a level down from our dorm rooms. Each Hall had a kitchen for use, but most people eat in the cafeteria. Usually, my team and I cook food here in the kitchen ourselves, but, given the somewhat lazy nature of the three others, they can't be bothered with cooking and usually head to the cafeteria somedays. Mostly for breakfast and lunch, dinner being the only time we ever do cook food.
Just to be certain I have everything first…
Large chicken wings, ginger, garlic, Parmesan cheese, ground pork, garlic chives, cabbage, and something I've found at least similar to shiitake mushrooms. All check.
As for the seasoning, something similar to shouyu, black pepper, and oyster sauce. Good, all check for seasoning.
Now in regards to the last bit of ingredients… Potato starch, chicken bone stock, Sake that I was surprisingly able to find, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and ketchup.
Excellent. I have everything need to create our meal for the night. Master and the others may very well enjoy this if I do it right, which makes it all the more important that my methods are near-flawless, especially since I've never cooked this dish before.
I snapped my fingers as white flames formed in front of me, materializing my personal apron that Master bought as a gift for me with assistance from Ciel.
The black apron had the image of a white, chibi-ish nine tailed fox, with white letters above the image spelling out "The Only Cook Hotter than the Kitchen". I was… surprised at first to see Master had gotten me such a gift, but it became much clearer when Ciel winked at me afterwards.
I haven't used another apron since.
Putting it on and tying the thick bands around my waist, I was ready to begin cooking. Or at least, I would have if two others hadn't caught my attention.
"Oh, ms. Lianna, ms. Ryūjinhonō. How have your evenings gone so far?"
"Quite well ms. Kitsukami." Ms. Lianna answered, "We heard that you were about begin cooking, and so Musashi and I… wished to observe and possibly assist you, so we may learn as well."
"You… wish to learn how to cook?"
This is quite exciting news! I always enjoy teaching people how to cook! Well, I'm not really a teacher persay, but… I can try to impart some knowledge to them.
"We would appreciate your teachings, since rumors say you may very well be one of the best chefs to exist in our time."
"N-Nonsense! I simply… just cook to… to… um…"
I can't just tell them I enjoy cooking for the one I love..! That would be… too embarrassing!
I felt the warmth in my cheeks rise and shook my head, tapping said cheeks thrice before I cleared my throat.
"V-Very well then! Please, put on those aprons over there and join me. Tonight, we are cooking for my team."
Both had seemingly perked up hearing this bit of information, and were quick to grab for the aprons to put them on and join my side, staring at me intently.
"U-Um… There are nine portions in total, three for each person. Follow my lead exactly if you will. Note that I'll be using my flames to expedite the process, but I'll tell you the exact times it'll normally take."
"Understood. Please begin." Ms. Lianna asked.
The pans in front of us were already warm and ready, but there was still preparation to be had. They did as I did exactly, in fact, they mimicked me perfectly down to the very same position, and placed the wings into airtight boxes so they wouldn't be exposed to the air.
Odd, but they're taking it very seriously at least.
After placing the chicken in the airtight boxes, we placed the covers on them. We then mixed the stock into the boiling pots of water on the side to create the stock, allowing us to dice the chives of garlic, cabbage, mushrooms, ginger and garlic.
"You're cutting techniques aren't all that bad. But ms. Ryūjinhonō, try to make the pieces a bit smaller next time. And ms. Lianna, your cutting is breathtakingly precise, but the cut pieces are a bit thinner than what they're supposed to be. Just a tad bit larger."
"Understood!" They replied.
…
Both of them are very serious about this...
Next, we mixed the faux shouyu, black pepper and oyster sauce together, the three of us gently stirring it together. Ms. Ryūjinhonō took a glance at us and matched her rather rapid, non-circular motions in pace with our own after I nodded to her to follow our movements.
Afterwards, we moved back to our diced ingredients to mix them together with the coarsely minced pork, allowing us to proceed to open the airtight containers and remove all the bones from the chicken wings. When the removal of the bones was finished, the three of us took the stuffing we just recently created and began filling the chicken wings with it.
Once finished, we placed three wings into each of our skillets as I gave the next set of instructions.
"Now then, normally to cook both sides will take some time, but we will be using my flames to expedite the process. When you factor out the speed advantage my flames offer, you must watch the chicken carefully until it's properly cooked. Since we're leaving the skin on, we also must watch it cook to a crisp, but overly crisp."
"Understood." Ms. Lianna replied, watching the soft glow of my white flames overtake the blue flame from the stove burner.
Their eyes, like mine, carefully watched the chicken cook in what seemed like seconds, the layer of skin a crisp, golden brown, just like we needed it to be.
Brilliant. We're getting closer to being finished.
"Now is the time to add the hot water and Parmesan."
And so we did by first pouring the water into skillet with a ladle, and then thinly coating the chicken wings in a layer of Parmesan cheese. Noticing she added too little, ms. Lianna carefully added a tad more Parmesan, while ms. Ryūjinhonō added an adequate layer herself.
It was clear to me both have never cooked any sort of food until now, but their motivation was carrying them well enough to succeed in our task currently. A few faults here and there, but nothing all too serious.
In fact, the both of them seemed to be very keen on the idea of making sure their dish was perfect.
Whatever their reasons, they were doing a splendid job.
Once I placed the lid on the skillet, ms. Lianna and Ryūjinhonō doing the same, I told them, "Now, once we've entered this stage, one must carefully listen to the popping noise in order to determine when it is time to take the next step. It's important to have as little noise around you as possible."
There were many different types of focusing techniques to allow one's hearing to be very selective and focused on only one source of noise.
I should know, Master's hearing seems to be very selective at the most inopportune times…
I let out a sigh, and continued to have my eyes closed as I waited patiently for our signal, the only noise that could be heard being the beautiful sizzling inside the enclosed skillet.
Once I heard the popping sounds, our time to act had arrived.
I quickly removed the lid of the skillet along with my compatriots, and set to work on creating the sauce. We mixed the potato starch together with the chicken stock to allow it to thicken, and then added our faux shouyu, sake, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and ketchup, and gently stirred the contents to create the final part of our dish.
With that finished, we moved our cooked wings from the skillets to three plates, and poured the sauce onto them.
"Careful not to oversaturate it you two. While the sauce is a delectable addition to the recipe, it's best that you put a decent balance to it. Don't let it overwhelm the dish itself." I cautioned.
They both nodded and proceeded to carefully pour the sauce over the wings, still carefully following my lead by watching their dishes and myself carefully.
For as little information I possessed, this "Cheese-Feathered Hanetsuki Gyōza" turned out really well for my first time making this dish…
That Sōma character Ciel enjoys reading about is quite the eccentric character. But I can understand him to a degree; like myself, he's always focused on improving his skills and recipes, cares about making really satisfying dishes, and is very innovative in the toughest of situations.
Perhaps I'll read more of this… Shokugeki no Sōma that Ciel strongly recommends on occasion… Maybe the reason she keeps recommending it is because she wants me to recreate some of dishes.
Either way, I'm very interested after today's experience.
"Well done you two. For first timers, you both did very well for yourselves with few mistakes."
"That was… fairly difficult… You move with such grace and steeled nerves that it made it somewhat difficult to keep up with your pace…" Ms. Ryūjinhonō commented.
"Agreed. Even with my knack for precision, it was still difficult to follow your movements." Ms. Lianna stated.
"My apologies you two… I've been working on cooking for so long that everything just flows so naturally for me. That, and I've rarely taught other people."
"It's quite alright ms. Kitsukami. It was an interesting experience either way, and we did learn quite a lot from you. It's evident that your skill in cooking is incredible." Ms. Lianna replied.
"That, and your combat ability is tremendous from what we've heard." Ms. Ryūjinhonō stated.
I've only ever fought Mr. Chroma in combat class, and I used only the most basic of techniques really. Not enough to garner any attention really…
"Simply Leonard has made that claim numerous times so far, as did the younger sibling Ciel."
"I'm not that incredible really…"
Perhaps the numerous challenges and entities Master and I have overcome together are something to speak about, but…
"Your partner's siblings tell a different story. If I recall, Ciel has stated that on numerous occasions you've single handedly destroyed mountainous beasts with those flames of yours."
Those two… They need to be told not to puff up our stories so much! And I didn't always do it myself! I did have Master's help most of the time…
"I-In any case… let's take these back up to our room. I'm sure they must be waiting for me."
It was incredible how many people we had to decline the food we carried on our way up. Ms. Lianna and Ms. Ryūjinhonō were especially protective of their well made products of labor.
We reached the door of our room, and from inside we heard laughter, though, we heard more of Ciel's laughter if anything.
I opened the door and the three of us looked inside to see Ciel and Leo calming down after Ciel tapped a button on her HoloScroll to pause the video.
"Ah…" the younger sibling started as she took a calming breath, "What's up Foxy? Oh! Is that tonight's dinner?!"
"Indeed it is."
"Woah~! It turned out as great as I expected it to! I knew I could count on you to get the job done!" She exclaimed with joy as she hopped out of her beanbag seat and quickly stepped up to smell the freshly cooked food.
"Splendid indeed…" Leonard stated walking up from behind, "M-Ms. Lianna? Ms. Ryūjinhonō? Uh, welcome! Your appearance is a bit sudden…"
"We… helped Ms. Kitsukami with creating this meal." Ms. Lianna said as she presented Leonard with the dish she made.
"You guys helped Foxy?" Ciel questioned, "Neato."
"T-That's right! So take care and appreciate our hard work!"
"Sure!"
The smaller girl happily accepted the dish from her dragon Faunus benefactor, and reached inside a now present hole of black and white Aura to bring out a pair of chopsticks for both herself and Leonard, tossing him the other pair as she ripped a piece off to consume it.
I set my dish down on Master's desk nearby, but I soon noticed how stiff and rigid Ms. Lianna and Ms. Ryūjinhonō were. They were really anxious as they waited for the siblings to take the first bite.
"Woah-ho! So good~!"
"Agreed! This is very good..!"
They were very quick to to settle into their dishes, Ciel almost done with hers the moment she put her chopsticks to it.
And the two next to me seemed very satisfied with the results. The usually stoic Ms. Lianna even smiled slightly.
It was just a hunch of mine, but I do believe there's a deeper meaning behind their joy at the sibling's satisfaction with their meals. It can't simply be just the satisfaction of good work… right?
I felt my collar vibrate slightly and saw a small white light blink on a few times from the chip on square of my clothing.
I raised up a hand and brought up my holographic display, seeing a new message from Master that just came in.
"Hey, busy right now?"
"No, not really. I just finished cooking dinner actually." I texted back, "Do need my assistance with something Master?"
"You just finished cooking? Damn… Alright, I'll be there in a second."
"D-Don't inconvenience yourself Master! I'll go to where you are and-"
"Nah, don't sweat it. I'm already outside the door. Come out for a second."
I closed my screen and looked to the four of them, "I'll be back shortly."
"Take your time Foxy! We're not going anywhere!" Ciel replied, finishing up her dish.
A brief smile flashed across my face as I carried the plate in my hand, and closed the door behind me.
"Sounds like they're having fun."
The sudden voice that came from nowhere startled me enough to make me jump, almost dropping my dish had I not been quick enough to catch it. I turned to find Master standing behind me, waving at me with one hand.
It wasn't until then I noticed his hand underneath the plate, helping to keep it steady as I finally handed it over to him.
"Wow… So this is what you made…"
"Is… Is it to your liking?"
"Definitely. The smell alone is getting to me… And making me actually hungry a bit…"
"Ah, I'm sorry! I forgot to bring chopsticks! I'll be right-!"
"No worries no worries, I got it covered."
I saw a small amount of white and black Aura flow between his fingers, forming a pair of glowing white chopsticks with a black outline that grasped a corner of the gyoza and tore off a chunk. Master eagerly raised it up, and was about to take a bite… but he stopped midway.
Did I do something wrong?! I can't have! I made sure that-!
"Here. You first."
"Hmmm..?" I asked in a confused tone, looking to the pair of chopsticks near my mouth.
"You didn't make anything for yourself, right? Have some with me."
"Of… Of course…"
My voice had grown quite as I opened my mouth and allowed Master to feed my the product of my work. It was… absolutely delicious… Tasting it now, I may have added a bit more of the faux shouyu than I needed, but it wasn't enough to be a detriment to the dish overall.
When I looked to Master, my eyes widened slightly when he used that very same pair of chopsticks to take a bite for himself.
"Excellent as always. Never seen you make this before… This a new recipe?"
"Y-Yes..!" I replied, my voice raising in pitch slightly as I tried to control my tail's movements, "C-Ciel recommended it… so… I thought I should try to make it since you said I should make something new…"
"No way, she actually made a good recommendation for once?" Master asked me taking another bite.
"She makes good ones on occasion..." I told him as a pair of glowing white chopsticks appeared in my hand, allowing me to partake as well, "Like with the steamed pork buns. And that seafood special we made last month."
"Ah, you're right you're right."
Both of us steadily lowered ourselves to ground and leaned against the wall, the plate balanced upon Master's thigh as we continued to eat together. It was… difficult for me not to reach out and grab hold of his hand.
How I longed to do so…
A heavy sigh escaped my lips, prompting Master to glance at me.
"O-Oh, it's nothing! I… I'm just a tad exhausted is all… It was a long day with all the classes… and the rather heavy essay we had to write for professor Oobleck's class. I'm still not all that amazing concerning academics I'm afraid…"
"What, you kidding? You're leagues better than most of the class. You're pretty much at the top of the classes with me."
"I-I am?!"
That was a bit surprising to hear… It's not as if I don't study, I do study for quite an extent of time when I do so. But to be at the top of the class…
"Master, if I may, how is it that-?"
"It's best you don't ask. That way I won't get scolded."
"Did you do something you shouldn't have?" I asked him with a serious glare.
"N-Nope. Totally not."
My glare only intensified with my low growl as I sought the truth from him.
It always worked, not matter what. Which is why he's never been able to lie to me.
"A-Alright, so I asked a teacher to check for me is all when I shouldn't ask. They don't let us check our own grades at any time like they did back at school in Primordial. I… just wanted to make sure we were doing well. Well, I know I was doing well. I was mainly checking because of those two." He said pointing back to the dorm room, where we heard Ciel's laughter.
"For Ciel and Leonard?"
"Yeah, I was afraid their 'competition' might be getting in the way of actually doing well. That and… well… I was making sure you were doing alright too…" he said avoiding my gaze.
He was concerned for me..?
He… was concerned for me..!
"If you need help or anything with homework or studying or whatever, just ask me. I'll help you anytime you know."
"I-I-I-I see..! Thank you very much for your kindness!"
I only just now realized I somewhat screamed that at him…
"I… actually need a favor. If you don't mind of course."
"Name it! I'm eager to help!"
"Can you find Anoel's Aura Signature for me?"
…
What..?
"Why do you wish to know where she is?" I asked as calmly as possible.
"Well, I was talking to Arex just now, and she said she hasn't heard from Anoel the whole day. Which is unusual because even if Anoel is doing a job, she usually checks in no matter what. So I thought as a favor we can check on where she is and see if she's alright."
I see… I had nothing to worry about then… He's simply performing a favor for Arex out of cocinen…
"You remember Anoel's Aura Signature, right?"
A nod was given in response to his question. After all, I could I ever forget her rambunctious Aura?
My eyes closed as I focused on remembering the feeling of Anoel's Aura. And as I remembered it, I felt myself being pulled away quite a distance in the darkness until I came upon a fiery presence. Though… it seemed quite faint…
My free hand had raised itself up, silently asking for Master's own to transmit her location to him. It was a unique ability I possessed with my sensing abilities, which allowed me to accurately pinpoint anyone's Aura Signature around the world if I recognized it, even across dimensions. And to make it better, should an ally need to be sent off, I can "give" the location of a presence to another should I touch them.
Faint traces of our Aura flared up in our joined hands, my flaming white Aura intermingling with Master's white and black Aura.
"Thanks. I owe you one." He replied with a smile.
It almost always melted my heart seeing him smile…
But still…
"You do seem to owe me quite a lot…" I proclaimed rather selfishly without thinking.
And as soon as I recognized what I said, I was practically mortified.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean-!"
"No no, you're actually right you now. I do owe you a lot more than what I can give right now. You and your family. All of you helped me out so much over the years, I don't think I could ever pay you back really…"
Well… I do know of a way he could pay me back indefinitely…
But that remains to be unspoken of.
For now.
"Well, thanks for dinner. You do know you don't have to cook for us all the time, right?"
"Nonsense. I do it happily all the time. And… it's quite fun to make something new now and then. And seeing you all enjoy it."
You in particular though…
"Right… Regardless of that, thank you. Now, I'm off to make sure Anoel's alright at least and report to Arex. Uh, be ready to help in case she's… you know, injured? Her job as an infobroker isn't exactly the safest kind of business considering the people she works with sometimes."
"Understandably…" I sighed.
We once worked extensively with an infobroker back on Primordial that seemed to attract trouble around every corner. Needless to say, Master and I always expected a call every other Tuesday night.
"Alrighty…" He said standing up, "I'm off. I'll be back in a while."
"Safe travels, Master."
With a nod, he took off down the hall and rounded the corner out of my sight.
…
I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some time now, I've felt as though something was off with him. He seems normal enough, yes… but I feel as though there's something he's not telling me.
Normally, I would've been able to hear what he was thinking, and figure it out that way. As a result of linking our souls together, we could hear one another's thoughts clearly. At least, we used to be able to.
For years now, I know he hasn't been able to hear my thoughts and feelings, only I could his. To make matters worse, within these last few months… I haven't been able to hear anything at all. It worries me because… what if he's having difficulties and not telling any of us about it? It's not simply because I am his partner that it's my duty to help him. It more than that.
It's because I'm…
I'm…
…
…
…
I can't change the past. What's done is done. The only thing that remains is the present, and how to advance towards the future.
And this time, I won't let anything happen. I won't be the reason for his suffering like the last time.
I will not make the same mistake.
10 minutes prior to meeting with Inuba…
(Dante POV)
Nothing. Not a damn message from anyone the whole day.
Oh, Dante, can you kill this person that's been tormenting my friend for ages now? Sure thing boss, happy to help.
Not even the courtesy to tell me anything. Apparently not smart enough either to have a strategy meeting on what we should do about that Devil Woman, Quinn. Like who can who can do what. I get it to a degree, outsider and all, but they asked for my help taking her down.
The least they could do is give me some damn information to work with rather than leaving me by myself to figure out a strategy to kill her. I'm not even sure the technique I developed will cut through whatever defense she has that makes her apparently untouchable.
To make it worse, I don't when she'll attack us. If she's smart, she won't think about doing it here at Beacon. If she's even smarter, she should attack neither of us period. But Quinn's got an agenda of her own, and I doubt she'll be stopping anytime soon unless someone physically makes her stop.
Enter stage left Dante.
…
I'm really starting to think Elisia might be right about them. Hopefully it isn't the case, but they're doing nothing at all to prove otherwise.
Still, can't back out now. I don't care about any rewards or anything like that. Fact is they asked for my help. So I'll give it.
Even if they aren't cooperating with me all too well. Like giving me their freaking numbers to communicate.
Typical…
'Oh, look at me, we're so badass we don't really need your help Dante, we just said that so you can sympathize with us'...
Is what I'd naturally assume to be the case on any other given day. But it's clear to me these people have their...personal problems. So with time, I'll have to get around it eventually.
Well, since Annoel is more than likely to communicate with me, hopefully, I'll go ask her for any updates on the Quinn situation. See if there's any leads so I can try tracking her down.
My feet stopped at the front of ELAA's door, and given I couldn't feel Ezdeil's Aura Signature, it was safe to say he wasn't home at the moment. At least I didn't have to deal with him.
"Special delivery!" I said knocking on the door.
"Erm, hang on..." a voice spoke out.
Well, Arex is home at least. That might help things. Maybe. I hope.
The door quickly opened with a "Need something?" from Arex, who looked pretty confused to why I was there. And by the bag I held in my hand.
I brought sweets for the small Kitsune as an offering.
"I bring gifts." I replied, "And also because I needed to get away for a bit. Not even I can entirely handle those rascal siblings of mine…"
Sort of the truth, but not entirely. Now that I'm looking around, Annoel doesn't seem to be in…
"Well, what makes this room a good place to get away? And why the gifts?" Arex asked stepping aside, letting me enter the room.
"You guys are nice to talk to. And fun to a degree. Of course, your leader would be plotting every second of my demise, which would never happen mind you, but still, you guys are pretty fun."
Try as he'd like, Ezdeil will never be able to kill me. Still, he probably has a diary hidden away with all sorts of plans numbering into the thousands of how he's going to try and kill me. I think.
Getting off track…
Well, besides Annoel not being here, I guess I can do what I said I'm doing here and chat with them for a bit to get to know them. See what else I can figure out from them.
"Not… that I don't believe you, but Kit can't exactly talk, and I'm terrible at holding up a conversation."
"Still fun. I haven't had to bring out sign language since my voiceless friend got her voice back. Whole story with witches I need to tell you guys about someday. And you're pretty fun to hang out with in your own way. Even if you're a bit awkward around people."
Which was true. I met someone in high school who came from a family of witches. A clan of rival witches killed my friends clan and her mother, and also stole her voice, preventing her from using any high tier magic. So when I tried getting to know her better, I looked up extensive tutorials on sign language and learned it within three hours. Next day I went to school and had a nice, silent, conversation with my friend.
…
I kind of wonder what she's up to these days...
"You're pretty fluent with sign language, so that explains why you know it so well." Kitsuki cut in as she signed at me, strolling over to take the small bag from my hand with a cute flick of her ears, then padded away.
"Guess we need to make time to hear it at some point then..." Arex replied quietly, watching Kit plop herself back down onto their bed to start plucking the wrapped items out of my gift bag of baked sweets, "Still, kind of weird to show up just to talk without wanting something."
The only thing I want at this point of time is to know you better. We could be friends later on for all either of us know. Plus, she knows how to make weapons and all sorts of gear from what I saw when she was working at the forge. I could learn a few things from her.
I noticed her glancing down to the Scroll in her hand, the light on it dim.
Was she waiting for a call or message from someone?
"Meh, I don't want anything to be honest. Just want to strike up a bit of conversation is all. And make friends. Are we friends actually?"
I'd at least hope she and I can be friends if not her sister. Or her diabolical leader.
"Probably not..." Arex answered rather honestly, "Might eventually be, though."
...
Please be my friend?
Now that I looked at her, she seemed… very fidgety. Did something happen?
"Have you seen Anoel at all over the past two days, by any chance?"
Anoel hasn't been here for two days now? I just saw her yesterday night though.
…
She must have gone back with that girl that got spooked by Quinn, Lylac. They seemed very close. Like, really close. If that's the case, then it's only make sense for Anoel to go back home with Lylac and make sure she was alright.
"Two days… Is that… unusual behavior?" I asked.
"Not for her..." Arex replied, "But being unresponsive is. She's an info-broker. She's always checking her scroll, so it's weird for her to leave a message for so long without responding, even if she's busy."
"Huh…" I said looking off to the side.
I checked the display of my holographic Scroll, remembering just now that Anoel did give me her phone number, I just didn't put her name down for that number yet.
Damn me and my sometimes scatter brain brain.
Still, no contact at all within the past two days? That's definitely a bit unusual. Sure, maybe she is busy. But she usually responds by the hour if she's out if what Arex is telling is true.
"Last I saw her was yesterday night at Nosferatu's bar when… Actually, I'm leaving that last bit out. But yeah, I saw her then. She seemed to be doing okay. Nothing wrong or anything."
I shouldn't mention Quinn. Arex doesn't seem like the type to blab, but I could be wrong. And if I did tell her and she accidentally told Ray? I'd have screwed the pooch since Ray isn't supposed to know Quinn is back.
"Was she with anyone?" Arex asked with a concerned look.
Ugh… I hate it when people look at me like that… I just can't not give them a sort of answer.
"Know anyone called Ly?"
She… looked like she recognized the name.
"Was anyone else there?" She asked looking at me directly.
"Just me, my partner, and that bundle of pure joy TA from Dravus' class. Apparently she took Inuba out for a girls day out, which turned into a girls night out. They ended the day with going to Niro's bar, and I just happened to walk by."
"Okay, still, it doesn't really sound like something that'd give Anoel trouble or keep her… Was that all that happened? Just a talk?"
Yeah… A bit more than just a talk happened…
I don't have it confirmed it, but considering Arex and Anoel are directly related, as far as I know, they might have a similar mind reading ability. Luckily, I've been working on something to block it out completely, so it shouldn't work on me.
Still, I should be a bit careful with my thoughts.
"After your sister tried smooching my partner, yeah, it was just talking. Getting to know each other more in a basic sense. Got to start somewhere, right?"
Don't know why, but thinking about how Anoel was about to make out with Inuba made my blood boil a bit. Like I was angry. But I'm not. So why is the sensation present.
Agh… I don't want to deal with that right now...
"Doesn't surprise me, but… Anoel didn't come back to the room last night, so she probably stayed with Ly. She's just been inactive since."
Same thing I've already guessed Arex. But it's still odd that she didn't contact you if she was just staying over at Lylac's place to make sure she's safe.
"Well, she is an info-broker right? She could just be working a lengthier job than usual. After all, I did ask her some time ago if she could find out about certain matters for me of a complex nature. Not sure if she took it seriously though…" I mentioned.
Can't rule out that possibility yet, but the more I think about it, the more my instincts are telling me otherwise...
"She doesn't take a lot seriously. And she'd warn me if she was going to be away for a while." Arex told me as she stared at the ground.
"Hmmm… You must really like your sister..."
"Well, yeah, she's my sister..." Arex returned easily, checking her scroll again, "I'm just worried about her. She likes to get into trouble and there's usually nothing I can do about it."
"Well, us older siblings tend to make it that way. Most of the time unintentionally." I said with a soft smile.
"It doesn't help that it still worries and scares me when she does…"
"Well, have no fear. I'm sure she's fine."
Hopefully. I don't know the answer to that question myself.
And it's bugging me quite a bit.
"Just as much as we get into trouble, we just as quickly get out." I offered, trying to console her.
…
…
No matter what way I think about it, this whole thing seems odd.
A thought came to mind about a potentiality.
Anoel's relationship with Lylac seemed… very very intimate. Like "in a relationship" intimate. Quinn tormented Lylac for who knows how many years. Anoel is obviously angry about that, even if she hid it pretty well.
She thinks she's clever because she can play it as cool as a cucumber, but little does she know I can see through her act.
She wouldn't be the first. Nor the last.
Given Anoel is frustrated about the situation, there's only one thing I can think about that she'd be thinking about. And I was really hoping she didn't do what I'm thinking she did. If so… then this made matters a whole lot worse.
Which means since I offered my help, I now have to go look for Anoel and make sure she's alright.
Damn it… Making more work for me than necessary...
"Well, I've got a small errand to run now that I remember. If I see her, I'll patch her in immediately for you." I said moving towards the door.
"If you see her. But thank you." She said genuinely.
I waved both Arex and her three tailed Kitsune partner Kitsuki goodbye, and closed the door behind me, letting out a silent, frustrated sigh.
I swear Anoel… You'd better be in one piece when I find you. I really don't want to be the one to break it to Arex if it's the opposite case…
Hopefully Inuba's in. With her sensory skills, she'd be able to pinpoint Anoel at any time, wherever she is.
And now the fun begins…
15 minutes later...
Damn it… Damn it all…
Stupid stupid stupid girl…
What on earth made her think she could take on that devil woman with her abilities?!
Inuba managed to track Anoel and give me her exact location, but she said her Aura Signature was faint. Which meant one thing.
Anoel, as smart as she is, made a really really poor choice and decided to hunt down Quinn on her own. And she screwed up royally.
Damn it!
I quickly ran outside of the dorms and towards an area of the courtyard no one passed by at night. Didn't need anyone spotting me and asking questions later.
When I got to the edge of the cliff overlooking the massive lake hundreds of feet below me, I lined myself up with where I remembered Inuba showing my Anoel's location, and summoned my white longsword with black detailing to my right hand. I reverse gripped my weapon and placed my left hand on the butt of the handle, moving my hand outwards as I added a solidified length of Aura to extend the handle, transforming my sword into a type of spear.
Despite how I was rushing to take aim, I was still trying to be accurate as possible with my aim.
Anoel was straight ahead of me by forty six miles. Which meant I needed a lot of throwing power.
My right arm had quickly been cloaked in black Aura, forming the black, vicious-looking segmented armor of my Shadow Skin to help power up my throw. But that wasn't all I was going to be using.
A subtle flow of my white and black Aura coated my entire weapon as the energy crackled ever so slightly, my arm raising itself up to take aim before I threw. I used my left hand to guide my sight for more accuracy to aid in my quickly done calculations. And when I was certain I had it right, I reared back my right arm.
"Devouring… Light!"
My arm moved forward intense force hurling my now spear-like sword forward like a blindingly fast lightning bolt as streaks of white and black Aura trailed behind my weapon.
From what I estimated, it'd be about forty six seconds until my weapon reached its destination.
Was I trying to skewer the potential villain Anoel confronted? Of course not.
I was trying to get there as fast as I could, seeing as I couldn't fly anymore like I used to be able to. So I had to improvise with this.
Five… Four… Three… Two… One…
I used my ability, Embedded Shift, making my body feel as light as a feather as I surged forward. Within and instant, I had moved to my destination, grabbing hold of my sword that was planted blade first into the ground around the warehouse-like area I found myself in.
A quick glance behind me, and I saw that Anoel was a mess. She was alive, and not fatally injured. But what made what I saw worse was the fact Ray was there too, just a bit ahead of her, in a similar, if not worse condition.
Damn you Anoel… You went and involved the one person Lylac asked not have involved… Just great…
I saw someone else there too. Someone I hadn't seen before, but had grabbed Anoel and was about to grab Ray. He had midnight black hair, neatly trimmed and slicked back so none of it covered his face. His attire consisted of a black flight jacket with a grey hood in place of a fleeced collar. The jacket covered a light grey t-shirt that held no notable features, just plain in its entirety. Most notably were the black wayfarer glasses he wore. With a slight downward tilt of his head, I could see bright blue eyes behind those shades of his, a shade darker than mine.
On his legs were a pair of black close-fitting jeans , again, nothing out of the ordinary. He wore black tanker boots on his feet, providing adequate protection and comfortability.
On his back, he had a black and white rucksack with its chequered pattern, both straps taut around his shoulders and underarms. In his hand was his weapon, a shotgun, oddly angular in design. A hybrid of reflective silver and matte black metal plates that looked like it could shift into a two-handed sword.
Multiple dust cartridges for various scenarios were strapped around his upper thighs. That weapon of his looked ti be magazine fed instead of manually loaded, which meant he could empty his clips and reload them with quick succession.
I wasn't sure if I should attack him first instead of the Devil Woman in front of me, but the look he gave me when his shades tipped downwards a bit…
…
Guess I have to trust him that he's not with Quinn…
Otherwise, I'll have screwed up.
And then I'll have one more person to kill tonight.
A small card of white Aura formed in my hand, black numbers quickly etching themselves into the card with my Scroll number.
"Get them out of her and send me their location when you're all safe." I demanded, looking back to Shades as he gave me a nod.
Before I knew it, he was out and gone, and I found myself staring at a pissed off Devil Woman that looked at me like I was her new chew toy.
"As for you… Let's you and I have some fun…" I said as I readied my sword.
End of the semester is approaching which means it's the end of the world as we know it. So it's been a bit tough writing out chapters when most of my time is on homework and studying.
Anyway, besides my own struggles, looks as though Dante will be facing struggles of his own now that he's face to face with Quinn. Will his new trick work against her? Will he manage to beat her? Well, looks as though you'll have to come back and see for yourself.
With that...
I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing collab Xera Stark and I are currently working on concerning his story XSRA's Flame. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you read from the very start. I've said it once and will say it again, you won't want to miss out on this story.
Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying.
Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.
Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it. With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!
Bye-bye now!