Be Careful
Tyki meets up with Lavi. They're not in a bar, restaurant or even the tavern. They meet in an orphanage that used to be the house of an old aristocrat.
Why? Tyki didn't really know. It is hard to try and understand how the mind of the red head works.
Tyki enters the house to see the red head playing with the kids in the garden. Tyki has to join in too apparently.
"Mister, mister, play with us!"
"Join us, Permhead."
They manage to talk when the kids were asleep.
"Why are we here?"
"To play with the kids? What does it look like?"
"I don't have all day, Eyepatch-kun."
"Well, firstly, no one would think to look here. Second, let's go to the basement first."
Lavi removes a picture frame on the wall. He pulls the nail but instead of coming off, it acts as a handle to open a small compartment. He manipulates the switch. Below them, a passage opens.
In the basement, the red head is settled on an old yet sturdy chair belonging to the past century while Tyki is on the couch near the present. The room is quite odd with different kinds of antiquities.
"Is there something that you need to show me in this room? Why are we here?" asks Tyki.
"I need you to retrieve something for me."
"Using me again?"
"I can't open it and I know you can choose to get it," he points to the old large golden case at the corner.
"And why should I do that?"
"I'll give you information you seek and maybe reveal something about how I know things," the red head says smiling.
"Like how you predicted Road's death and prevented Eeez's? But it is more than that, isn't it? You, Eyepatch-kun, want more than what's inside that case."
"True. Will you get it for me then?"
Tyki didn't say a word but phased his hand through the large case. He reaches inside to take out an old book and a dagger. He hands the two objects to the red head who keeps them inside a pouch.
"Should I know what those are for?"
"It's a Bookman thing."
"How do you do things, Eyepatch-kun? You're scarier than any Noah."
"I made a contract with the devil, Permhead."
"Not funny."
"I see things of the past to the future when I will it. It's not a Bookman thing. I guess, let's just say, I'm special."
"You're like a creepy fortune teller."
"I'm not always right. The future is always weird and unpredictable. I can't prevent everything from happening."
"It's your eye, isn't it? That has always been strange one."
"My eye? Yeah, tis a strange thing," he says lightly laughing while removing the black patch to reveal an eye with weird markings.
"So how do you see things? Is there no price to pay?"
"There's always something, Permhead. You don't want to know what I have to pay. Let's say it's something bad," he says putting the patch back.
"Why Eeez? It could have been anyone."
"It was by accident when I saw him with your other friends. I was just adjusting my eye patch when I saw that they were about to die. I didn't really care but I remembered their connection with you. I couldn't save them all though after they didn't listen to my warning."
"It was only Eeez."
"And if I sent him to the order, maybe he could approach Lia since they have you in common. I know she's a skeptical one and won't make friends."
"You're really scary, Eyepatch-kun. If only you weren't important to menina and saved Eeez, I would have killed you after using Eeez like that."
"Be careful, Permhead. And thanks for your help."
"You're concerned about me?"
"You're important to her. You have to be careful."
"Then what do you plan at the end of this?"
"To keep her safe. That has always been the plan. You guys just got swept into it."
"Include Eeez in the list of people that are gonna be safe."
"I'll do my best but no assurances. I can't read and control everything, Permhead. Be careful."
"That's three times today, Eyepatch-kun. You say that as if you think I'll die if I don't."
"Just be careful."
Again, Lia is interrogated by the council. The same set of people do their best to make her slip but she won't. She's trained to handle all kinds of interrogation. This isn't much compared to her tolerance of pain. Years ago, when she returned to the clan, they used magic to conjure up illusions that will make her feel pain and death. The test is to make sure she won't reveal secrets.
"So will you kindly tell us what happened? What weakened the noah?"
"General Kanda has already put in the report of how he killed him. I don't know what weakened her," she replies.
"Lies will not be accepted."
"I don't know what happened. We can be wrong. Maybe they wanted us to think that she's dead when really she isn't," she says.
"Just answer our question."
"I don't know," she replies.
"You're as stubborn as your master."
"Leave."
She takes a formal bow then leaves the room. As the door shuts close, they continue talking.
"Don't let her go out for awhile."
"It'll lead us to something if we let her do as she pleases. She may have connections we don't know about."
"She was the apprentice of that exorcist who was a Bookman."
"You heard what they said," says Bookman.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Bookman."
"Focus on your job."
"Yes, Bookman."
"Leave no detail behind."
"Yes, Bookman."
Lia returns to her room to take a rest. It is already late at night. She missed dinner thanks to the interrogation. She can have snacks but decides not to. A knock comes at her door. She stands up from her bed and opens it. It's Eeez. She lets him enter and sit on the chair by her desk while she lies back on the bed after closing the door.
"They won't be letting you out for awhile. You actually got lucky when we left last time."
"You know I can't tell them anything."
"I didn't mean it that way. Just don't let your guard down."
"I'm not."
"You've been slipping, Lia."
"I'm fine, Eeez."
"You should eat. I asked Jerry to fix you a snack. You know he'll scold you if you're not taking care of yourself. It would all be a waste."
"Thank you. I'll go there now."
Record of a Bookman Apprentice, (Month/Day/Year)
Title: Secrets
Number: 12
I've been interrogated again. And I can't tell them anything.
Eeez as usual warns me. He's always there. It has been more than a year since I met him. It has been more than a year since Lavi sent him.
I still find Road's death suspicious as the council did.
I really feel like he did something...
I can't assume though but I feel like he meddled in some way that he shouldn't have...
During breakfast, Lia eats with Eeez and Jairo. Jairo joins her since they share the same duties hence similar breaks.
Before Lia came to the order, Jairo didn't in particular eat with anyone. Lenalee and Allen made him join them since he was often alone and near their age despite the apprehension at first for being a Bookman apprentice like Lavi had been. Kanda is dragged in because of Lenalee but he joins their table now more likely because of Lia who is his student. There are other exorcists sometimes too depending on the time. And some people from the science division like Johnny.
Lia interacts with them to be polite and play her role. She's not cold like Kanda but she's not as outgoing as Lavi had been.
As the three eat, Lenalee and Allen joins them.
"Excuse me," a woman calls out.
Age: 20 years old.
Australian.
Fair skinned. Brown hair.
"I'm Inspector Amelia Brown. Starting today, I'll be observing you, Miss Ianthe."
The young girl doesn't seem surprised. She remains calm while eating her food. She stops for a few seconds to acknowledge the woman then continues eating.
The others aren't as calm as her though. The hall has strangely become silent for a few seconds until people reacted.
"Why do you need to observe her?" asks Lenalee.
"It seems an observer is being observed," Jairo states but remains calm like Lia had been as if he expected it too.
Eeez pretends to be surprised. It won't do if people also suspect him of knowing too much.
"Please explain yourself, Inspector Brown," Allen says.
"Miss Ianthe is not telling the order everything she knows. She is withholding information and acting suspiciously. We need to observe her in case of the possibility that she is working for the enemy."
"There's no way she is," Allen defends her.
"It's alright, General Walker as long as she doesn't hinder me from my work."
"And you are not permitted to leave the order for awhile, Miss Ianthe."
"I understand."
"Can you please answer these questions?"
"You may place it next to that pile. I'll answer it after I finish my duties to Bookman."
"Miss Ian-"
"I'm a Bookman apprentice before I am an exorcist or under the order. Please try not to hinder me from my work."
For weeks, Lia is cooped inside the order doing paperwork. She takes a break sometimes to train.
The order still can't pin anything on her but they won't stop. They need to catch her slip at some point so they gave her freedom back but the watch remains.
She's back on a mission with General Klaud along with Inspector Brown following. It seems, they're trying to keep her away from her teacher, General Kanda.
General Walker is not to be trusted because of his character and past. General Tiedoll is too lenient as well.
General Sokalo is at the other side of the world. The young exorcists don't know the circumstances and consequences of what happened. It needed to be a General first to watch over her along with the inspector since it is a general who has so much experience to notice something off. And it is a general who is strong enough to deal with the unexpected.
Why is so much doubt placed on Lia?
She withholds information and the very fact that she's a Bookman apprentice.
Bookmen can't be trusted too easily since they take no sides.
They take a carriage then a train to reach the foot of a mountain where the innocence is rumored to be.
"There had been reports of people disappearing in this town near the mountain," the finder reports. "They suspect that it has something to do with the strange animal living near the mountains. Some of the folk here tried to hunt that animal only to disappear. Some say they've turned into dust."
"Dust? It is more likely the work of an akuma then," says Klaud.
"Should we split up, general?" asks Gen, another exorcists who is on the mission with them.
"We'll contact each other through the golems."
"Yes, ma'am."
Klaud heads out alone towards west. The finder goes with Gen straight ahead. Lia is with the inspector towards the other end.
The forests at the foot of the mountain is peaceful, too peaceful that it's strange. Lia stops and closes her eyes to listen in on her surroundings. The inspector understood this and kept quiet.
"Incoming akuma behind us. Take cover, inspector," she tells the older woman as she pulls out her weapon. "Innocence activate."
As Lia said, akuma appeared from behind them. There are eleven level ones led by a level two.
"Moeru." Burn.
As Lia fought the akuma, the inspector took cover and contacted the general and other exorcist. Apparently, General Klaud and Gen are also fighting akuma. It is decided that they meet at midpoint instead of fighting individually. The inspector relays the message to Lia who leads the akuma towards the midpoint. Heading there, a Noah appears.
"You're going to pay for killing Road, little missy."
It's Milo.
"A noah appeared," the inspector reports through the golem.
"Sssh," Milo says. "It's our fight. Don't be noisy." He shoots her with lightning instantly killing her before she can even react.
The Noah of Wrath.
A young boy with short temper destroying things that displeases him.
He can send out lightning to kill.
Previous name was Skinn Bolic.
"Fushichou."
A phoenix formed out of flames attacks the Noah.
The Noah dodges and sends out lightning towards her. She jumps out of the way but hits the tree.
She quickly gets up to send out another attack.
"Moeru."
"That's no use against me. How disappointing. I expected much more from Road's killer," the boy suddenly appears from behind her.
"I didn't kill her."
Her reflexes are fast enough to avoid his punch. She sends out another attack.
"Your general did but you helped him, didn't you? What did you do?"
"Nothing."
He sends out another blast of lightning. She jumps out of the way but her arm got hit sending the weapon meters away.
"Oh, you lost one of them. How will you fight?" he strikes another lightning.
She slashes with her left arm to make a wall of defense. It didn't hit her but the energy pushed her to the ground.
As he was about to hit her, someone from behind attacked him. It was Gen and his innocence in the form of a boomerang. It appears small at force but enlarges as it nears its target sending out a large blast of energy.
General Klaud also arrives and sends Lau Shimin to attack the Noah. The finder approaches Lia and helps her get up. She quickly runs for her innocence but find difficulty in using both.
She combines the two rods into one and attacks with only one hand.
"Moeru."
More akuma appears while Milo focuses on attacking only Lia again. The general who stronger aids Lia from time to time.
A bell rings similar to the sound that indicates that it's time for a meal.
"I'll see you again some other time. Bit by bit, I'll break you. Every time I see you, you'll lose something. You don't deserve a quick death."
The Noah disappears through a door similar to Road's. It could very well by hers but there is something that feels different.
"The Noah of dreams is still alive," Gen says.
"That's her reincarnation. She was killed by General Kanda," Lia says as she tries to stand up but it proves to be difficult with her injured leg.
"Which is why they want you dead," Gen helps her up.
"Yes," she winces in pain when pressure is put on her injured arm.
Gen helps her then form the other side.
"We lost a finder and the inspector. Let's head back to town. You need your injuries checked and bandaged," the general says.
"Yes, ma'am," they reply.
Details on Lia as an Exorcist
Name of weapon: Kali
Equipment type
Similar form to her previous weapons. Two rod like sticks modified by the science division.
Synchronization rate: 72 %
Moeru (burn) - She generally slashes and sends out flames similar to the way Kanda does with his sword.
Fushichou (phoenix) - With combined slashing movements, she sends out flames that appear like a phoenix before engulfing the enemy.
She can also create a strong gust of wind with flames. The phoenix can also move when she activates the second level. The phoenix then attacks one enemy to the next before the flame dies out.
The weapon appears as two rods but she can combine them together and attack with only one hand. The martial art she uses can be with one hand or two. With just one rod, she needs only the use of one hand.
Arnis, the martial art which she uses can also make use of swords. It is however different from the katana Kanda uses. It is likely she chose the rods first since she wasn't used to the sword yet and the convenience of keeping it while traveling. But in the later chapters, she might use a sword.
Ezekeel: In case people are confused about their ages and the time that has passed... it has been almost three years since Lia entered the order.
Lia is currently 15. Eeez is 17. It's currently July.
Jairo - 19. Kanda - 25. Allen - 21. Lenalee - 23. Gen - 18. Tyki looks the same.
It's a bit later than I said but hope you guys enjoy this. I'll update the next one maybe the week after next.
Samansa-chan147 and Ern Estine 13624 - Thank you :D Hope you like this one.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Edited: Saturday, June 7, 2014