The situation between the two devils couldn't be any clearer by the day. Kurenai has already dragged Marvin towards a secluded place on the grounds of the Occult Research Club, where there would be no outside disturbances. With Rias still inside and still roaming the building, it was only a matter of time before actual action may be involved before their little meeting gets adjourned suddenly.
Kurenai had to waste no time if he ever needed to get his points clear and concise. Unfortunately for the grey-haired devil, on a peaceful day such as day, he can't help but turn the situation over towards a positive one: the way the gentle winds of the spring breeze glistening the area around them, as well as the vibrant sun shining. For a day like this, it just isn't worth ruining some good peace occasionally.
In days like today, Kurenai would often think about Akeno; the fallen angel that now serves under Rias, and just think about her gorgeous beauty. To tarnish a day like today would put everyone in an angered state. Not to mention that making Marvin any angrier would jeopardize any means of any meaningful conversations and forwarding his own agenda.
"So….." Marvin asked while looking at Kurenai with some distaste, still holding onto Marvin's hair very tightly. Given the situation at hand,
"Look. How about we call this a truce for now, and just get something to eat, yeah?" Kurenai proposed.
"What in particular?"
"There's a new pizza place that's just opened in the streets of this city. It's near the school, so you'll have some time to properly reflect on your behavior. You're lucky that I'm going to be a bit more lenient this time around."
Marvin looks at Kurenai cautiously. He didn't really expect someone who's a senior to take sudden pity onto him all of a sudden. He didn't look all that pleased either, due to how he just treated him.
"What's in it for me? I know you don't usually do these kinds of things out of the blue when you have already-"
And then suddenly, it all made sense to him. Akeno showing up to look at the condition of Marvin and witnessing Kurenai just suddenly taking notice of her presence raised a bunch of red flags. He did know that Kurenai was soft when Akeno is around, and not wanting to participate in violence whatsoever. In fact, even in a fight, hypothetically speaking, if Akeno were around and they were in a war zone, Kurenai would be the first person to literally stop everyone's attacks, and just settle the dispute down like diplomatic people. To Marvin, he found that quite boring, but the recent encounters prove that. As he deduced as to what he might do, there's only one real way to prove what he might be thinking is right.
"Do you, love Akeno?" Marvin asked inquisitively.
"Just what kind of question is that?" Kurenai quickly retaliated.
"Oh, so you do love her then. Figured as such. Isn't it kind of odd that the way that you like her is, how should I put this, unorthodox and a bit unnatural?"
Kurenai simply gave Marvin the cold shoulder, as well as a death stare, looking as if he wants to murder him right here and now. He was still crossing his arms whilst glaring at him menacingly, but it did nothing to temperament Marvin in the slightest. In fact, this is entertaining for Marvin to see: the face of a man who didn't care about the fact that he may die here out in the open, he knew the man wouldn't even try to attempt such a thing. And Kurenai knew it.
"Even if I do like her in that way, it does not excuse the fact that you were causing a ruckus within President Rias' vicinity. It is thanks to her that you're not burning down to the ground right here, and right now."
Marvin wasn't the type of boy who didn't learn a trick or two when knowing by intuition when someone is lying. The quick glance of Akeno gazed upon by Kurenai, as well as his courteous nature towards her than any other member of the Occult research club, it didn't take long to piece together just what kind of infatuation that he has over her. Still, his stomach growled loudly to ease the tension between the two assailants. If they were to fight right now, Marvin would surely not win from this uncomfortable position. He knows the odds are heavily stacked against his favor and getting close to Koneko will be next to none. Though Kurenai is known to be a man of chivalry, which works as a double-edged sword in this instance: He promises that he will destroy Marvin where he stands and treating him to lunch early on. And Marvin knew which one to pick.
"Alright, alright. I'll play nice with the president's rules."
"Say her name honorably, you cretin. You are still in her presence." Kurenai objected abruptly.
"Fine! I will respect the president's rules on the ground manners and acknowledge your request for treating me out for lunch."
With that said and done, Kurenai's cold death glare suddenly became non-existent, lending out a hand towards Marvin in a new light: like a comrade treating one of its acquaintances to a lunch break out of kindness. He didn't look at all happy, judging from the way that he cautiously looked at him, but still retained his fine posture, and determined to get this lunch thing done and over with.
"That's what I wanted to hear. And from there, I guess we can talk about recent events that have transpired throughout the world, and possibly the universe." Kurenai concluded.
"Is it one of those times where I have to sit down and be your little lap dog for every single thing that you've been keeping track of?"
As Kurenai reached for his largely paper-filled clipboard, he was caught off guard with that comment from Marvin. All things considered, he didn't really mind explaining complicated details to people but knowing that not everyone will share his point of view most of the time, he found it a bit funny that Marvin will have to deal with his rants and explanations about the world like all of the teachers at the school. But, at least of what Kurenai thinks, he'll be better than the average teacher.
"Hey, I'm not the type of person that's going to give you a ton of homework. There's a reason why I'm assigned as the Occult Research Club's main researcher. I'm valuable in the field of battle, whether it's rating games or in school."
"Yeah right. The only use out of you is teaching your enemies how to sleep. Because frankly, you can't teach for shit. Remember that one time you tried to explain to Rias that uhhh….what's it called again? See? Your teaching methods are just as bad as our teacher-"
"Just shut up and let's go to the food place, or we'll be late."
All that Marvin could do was chuckle at Kurenai. He just knows which buttons to press in order to get him pissed off and ready to go. A talent, as he contemplated to himself, a useful tactic whenever he would need something done. Because even after all the bravado that he has, he still has a sense of pride within him. Kurenai did say that he's the best strategist at their disposal, just that Marvin likes to toy around with him a bit more, much to his dismay.
"Correct!"
And a decisive blow was landed directly at Lance's forehead. As Lance turned to look up at his assailant, he only saw Xenovia and Michael standing next to him, looking as if they were having a good laugh. It was Xenovia that first burst into laughter, and then Michael. They laughed a ton, with Lance only watching them in utter disappointment and embarrassment.
"Did you really think too hard that Irina would magically come back to us?" Michael exclaimed loudly, still laughing heartily.
"Damn you guys. Ugh." Lance groaned. It took them a while for both Xenovia and Michael to stop laughing at the commotion, and to focus on the task at hand. It helped Lance to alleviate the fact that the outside environment of a stillborn tree that they're currently in, does make for a nice afternoon.
"Say, it's a pretty nice day today." Lance exclaimed obviously.
It only took the two of them to take notice of the surroundings to have a moment of relaxation. Even though they enjoyed looking at Lance's pitiful form for the jokes, they all patiently lay down onto the delicate earth and observing: how the tree swayed in the gentle morning breezes and the accompanied gaze of the warm sun. For a moment, they all just wanted to stay like this for a long time. They all mutually agreed through nodding heads, to just lie down onto the ground, with their weapons resting against the still oak tree, and lied on the gentle grass on their backs, the surroundings presented to them in an elegant fashion.
"Reminds me of those times when we were at the church courtyard, practicing our sword and fighting skills with others," Michael exclaimed.
For Xenovia, she didn't really know anything about the two of them; or rather, she doesn't know what her teammates Lance and Michael were really like. Back then, she thought to herself that joining them would give her an opportunity to strengthen her skills and be useful on the battlefield. She has been told numerous times that her long hair will be the end of her life, but she would always refuse. She thought that her hair defines who she is as a person: Someone who is gentle in her ways of protecting, yet strong to defend what she cherishes the most. So if she's going to have good odds in combat, she would need to get to know the two on a personal basis. Hopefully, the two young boys would take her seriously.
"Hey, Lance?" Xenovia asked.
Hmm? What?" Lance answered.
"So how were you admitted into the church?"
Hmm?" That question caught Lance off-guard. Sometimes, he can't figure out what she's thinking, making up questions like these out of nowhere.
"...why? I don't know who in the blazes you are, and you'd want me to share something important to you?"
"I….just want to know what life was like back then for you. Since we're teammates and all, being on this mission the whole way through."
"Oh? You'd think that a few encounters with me and Michael and suddenly you're admitted to our little friend group? Do you really think I'm the type of person that would share info that willy-nilly towards total strangers and be ok with it?"
"Lance, it's not what I meant by that."
"Judging from how you relaxed in front of all of us, I'm inclined to say otherwise."
"Lance, just what are you trying to pull? I just asked a simple question out of curiosity. I want to know more about you."
"And what? Probably use this info against me? I don't think so."
"What is with you being this paranoid? What's so harmless about sharing something so harmless?"
"I don't want to continue this conversation if you're going to be pushy about it. You are not my friend, and you will never be anyone else's if you keep that up."
Those words shook Xenovia to the core. The graceful scenery of just them relaxing by the tree, were all ruined by Lance's negative, and hostile attitude to her. She couldn't believe it, they were the same people fighting in the same mission together, and all she got from him is nothing but goofball sentiments and a harsh side.
"Forget it, it's nothing."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, it's fine. If it's something that you don't want to share with a stranger, it's fine."
"If that's how you feel in the end, that's fine by me, I guess."
And then the tension between the two of them became dead silent for a good while. The gentle breeze of the winds and the gentle rays of the sun didn't seem to faze the two of them in the slightest, only succeeded in the two of them having their moods dampened by each other's presence. All that Xenovia felt, is uneasy tension with resentment that she came along with the two of them to find Irina in the first place. She wanted to go back to the church and into her dormitory, to mope and play around until the priest gives her another mission.
Michael didn't like where the tension was heading towards, but he also knows that Lance is only acting out of necessity, albeit cruel necessity. From Michael's perspective, Lance just looked up into the sky as he grunted.
"Hey, Lance. Give Xenovia some slack, man. She could've chosen not to come with us, or worse yet, would have reported your misadventure with Irina. But come with us anyways. I don't personally believe in what Xenovia here wants to achieve, but she came with us. I would trust in God, our father, that she won't do anything malice against the both of us that need to accomplish this task of getting Irina back."
And then Lance was sent back a bit with Michael said. He personally doesn't want to compromise his personal background. Deep down, he doesn't want a female to find out what he truly is. However, he holstered his hands back into his pockets, not wanting to be disturbed by his already disturbed peace of mind.
"Michael, must I ask why I would want to reveal compromising info about my own background to this girl? You know me well enough at this point to not warrant another discussion like this." Lance pointed out.
"No, it's nothing like that last discussion with the priest's decision, ok? Just trust in God that she won't do anything out of the ordinary. Jesus, Lance. Sometimes you're hard to open to people. Therefore I have to follow you around."
"Hey! I can make friends easily, mate. I'm just cautious when it comes to girls like her."
"Lance, just treat her like any other boy back in our church. There's no need to be all defensive about yourself. If you're not willing to talk it out, who's going to really listen to you?"
Michael did have a good point. As Lance thought, self-reflection is good and all, but having someone to talk to and listening to one's problems can ease up the stress. Thinking about it more, it can also provide him with details about what she's currently thinking about, or what her goals in life are. At times, he can be dense to see that trading off with something important about himself, might be the only way of establishing her as a useful ally. Well, there was only one way to find out.
"But ok. Since you're on this mission out of your own free will, it seems wrong to keep you from my truth. So here goes. I came to this church when I was a young lad, no higher than our knee. Orphaned at a young age, not knowing who my parents are, for the most part. It's safe to say that until the church took me in, there wasn't a lot of people willing to take me in. I mean, living in the dumps were a real pain to go through."
"So what was it like for you? Living on your own with no one to look up to?" Xenovia asked politely. She knew that she's in dangerous waters now, since she took a quick glance at, facing in his direction, and she could tell that he looked a bit sad, as he gazed up at the sky giving no care about the world.
"Like…...really, I don't know if I'm being honest with this. Maybe I'd be in the depths of hell if I remotely tried, or even worse. Because humans have this innate desire to look up towards something: a cause if you will. Sometimes, I wonder what makes us even remotely different from the loads of cults that want to exploit us for their own gain. They follow the same belief structures as we do, so why didn't I join up with them in the first place?"
"I….." and Xenovia went silent. She didn't know how to respond to Lance's question legitimately, as she doesn't want to bring up something in the past. She simply brushed her hair gently while she tried to contemplate as to what she would say next. Thinking on what Lance said, he isn't wrong when he stated that humans do have an innate desire to look up towards something and follow them, what he could have gotten wrong, is that there are some people that do not share any of their world views, such as following Christ.
"I do agree with that, Lance." Xenovia replied. "However, what separates us from those people that follow cults of gods, is that we believe in an almighty father, someone who watches over us from afar, making sure that we are safe and sound. We pray to God, the father almighty each day, to say our thanks and graces, then always when we come to eat. We, as followers of Christ, try to spread the good word of God and of his son, to try and make the world a better place."
Lance took a reflection on that and thought back on the times that were meaningful to him. It was that first day when he got accepted into the orphanage at the church, only at the age of 5. He was no taller than a small dresser and looked as if his body could snap and crack at the sight of a load being placed onto him. So fragile, and so alone, he had truly thought that no one would accept him in. But then, from that fateful day, things changed….
"Ah! Nothing beats a good pizza restaurant right here in the center of Futaba!" Marvin exclaimed with joy as he entered the place of Kurenai's choice.
"You just made that up." Kurenai rebuked.
"Well uh….. No. Because it's in one of the signs here. Look!" and Marvin pointed up towards one of its signs. Much to his dismay, it showed the saying that Marvin had said. All that Kurenai could do, was to shake his head in disappointment.
"Behave yourself. We are in a place of high luxury, courtesy of Rias Gremory's connections, that being me."
From that banter, Kurenai was not liking Marvin's attitude at all. They had just entered a place of high luxury for a pizza place: a famous restaurant owned by one of the notable chefs in Japan, and Marvin ruined any first chance impressions as to how to be that of royal blood: that of the Gremorys.
"Anyways, let's just proceed inside." Kurenai simply stated as he walked up to the counter. "Hello there."
"Pleasure to meet you, Sir. what's the occasion today?" the waiter asked.
"Just the usual. Treating one of my associates here just out of my own kindness."
The waiter looked at him with a bit of suspicion, due to his overall stern appearance. Still, he welcomed into the brightly lit restaurant, and lead him to his seat, alongside his colleague.
"And this is considered a fine dining place?" Marvin exclaimed at the inner surroundings.
"It is, and one of the finest in this city as well. One of the chefs here was an applicant at a very prestigious culinary school right here in Japan. Came out with starting one of the first restaurants in the world. You can say that they 'reinvented' the pizza to a degree. It's no longer a simple flatbread with tomato sauce, it's instead something else; something exquisite." Kurenai commented.
"Well, it better be some pizza. I'm hungry as hell."
"Patience, Marvin. It's a virtue you should practice from time to time."
Marvin simply rolled his eyes at Kurenai. He personally doesn't care about the nature of the pizza, but just obtaining food. His self-hunger was growing ever so steadily, as the two of them sat onto one of the exquisite views near a window. Kurenai overlapped his hands, placing his chin on top to glance at the worldview outside, looked as if he were at peace with himself, a rare sight to behold, since he was described as one of the smartest people within the Occult Research Club.
"As requested, here is your menus, gentlemen." the waiter said as he passed on the menus towards them in a polite manner, calmly shaking Kurenai out of his daydream to select.
"I'll have the simple omurice. And you Marvin?" Kurenai asked.
"I'll just have a pizza. Surprise me."
"Alright, then." the waiter casually said. "I'll deliver your order promptly. Since I am serving a member of the Gremory household, I'll make sure your order gets done pronto. Have a good day, gentlemen." and with that, the waiter left them to their thoughts.
"Well, that was an ok waiter," Marvin commented as he took a sip of water.
"Be cautious, Marvin. There are other waiters that might not like what you have to say. After all, one of the owners of his restaurant will punish rude customers with a really disgusting squid. Believe me, no one, not even his wife, wants to taste that stuff in their life."
"Oh? Really disgusting squid if I speak my mind. Well then, bring it on."
"You're becoming reckless. Try to tone it down a little?"
"Pfffft. Why should I? I have every right to use my words and speak my mind as I see fit-"
"Tria Cerberus Ora!"
And just by a quick chant of a spell, Kurenai had restrained the arrogant Marvin by summoning a demonic familiar around him to cover his mouth and eyes. To the people observing them from the outside, it looks as if he were restrained to his chair, and his eyes and mouth were closed shut. Kurenai's gaze locked onto the surroundings immediately, seeing if anyone would take notice, but to his surprise, some did. The people observing just looked at the two of them and whispered things to each other, gossiping about the nature of the restaurant. He shook his head in disbelief and resumed to investigate his menu once again for more options. Trying to act civilized around the rich people of this restaurant will be hard if he doesn't exercise caution, especially with Marvin lurking about.
"Erm, Kurenai-san?" the previous waiter asked Kurenai as he walked towards his seating.
"Yes, what can I help you with?"
"It's a bit of an odd request, but the main chef would like to see you."
"Really?" Kurenai didn't think that the main chef would require his presence even when he just arrived. Still, in his mind, he still wants to keep a good professional appearance as someone from a house of nobility.
"Alright, I'll go."
Author's Notes
Kurenai: ...So, you've been gone quite a long time
Doctor: Yes, I have.
Kurenai: Care to explain why you just upped and vanished for two years?
Doctor: I mean, I had plans for this and some other things that I wanted to do in the future
Kurenai: Well, judging from your reception from making those wiki pages, you've seen to garner a lot of backlashes.
Doctor: That too. It's mostly due to how I would often present my ideas and where to go about them. If the audience didn't know by now, I'm an avid fan of pretty much anything that I can get my hands on these days. Like, there were a lot of shows that I watched and loads of games that I've done.
Kurenai: But what about your writing work?
Doctor: Ah, that. Well, I've been down in my luck in terms of how to convey my writing in an impactful way. These last two years haven't been kind to me, because of college taking a toll on both my mental and physical health. I just didn't want to write anymore, with all the other authors saying that I'm shit at it.
Kurenai: You are shit at writing, maybe. But you can improve over time and learn.
Doctor: yeah, and that's my main problem. Because my reading views stem from loads of lurkers reading my story, I'm always cautious as to whether or not I'm writing a good story. I did want to get back into it, by taking online and college classes about writing. I've learned a lot of stuff, but it's all pointing me to the same problem: execution.
Kurenai: Were you that low self-esteem in terms of your own writing?
Doctor: Being completely honest, yes. As a writer, I'm always cautious as to whether or not I can deliver a good story. I've already tried with my extensive planning of fanfic "A God and Girl's love is unbreakable" and it flopped. Like really hard. That amount of time spent to plan out the fanfic and making sure every detail worked, it will not work out in the end if no one wants to read it.
Kurenai: to tell you the truth, you did have someone for them to read to.
Doctor: Yes, and I completely appreciate their enjoyment. But for everyone else, without some clear communication between me and the reader besides reviews, I honestly don't know if I'm doing a good or bad thing in terms of executing a story. Do you see what I mean?
Kurenai: I see a bit. But you do get reviews from time to time, about how you've carried out this story.
Doctor: Maybe a little but that is mostly the case. I hate that I'm asking so desperately for feedback because it can be hard, extremely hard in my case, but it's honestly my main factor when writing this fanfic. I could be playing some other games, watching movies or documentaries or advancing my career in the fields of technology, but I am choosing to write this fanfic for my friends: the ones that partially got me through. Being honest, in the near future, I might just scrap this fanfic together and just leave it for my friends to read.
Kurenai: That won't solve your writing problem, mate. If anything, it'll show that you can't really put yourself out there.
Doctor: I try, man. However, there's only so much that I can do before I can consider this fanfic a public lost cause. And the lack of reviews and feedback on how I portray the story, it may come to that. So, here.
Kurenai: At the very least, I understand where you are coming from. Must have been rough trying to try your best but ending up in vain. I mean, time is a precious thing in life, and no one can claim it back.
Doctor: Thanks. In the meantime, I'm just going to rework this fanfic from the ground up, one last time. And then decide if it's worth continuing over my other hobbies. Writing is something that I enjoy, but I'm not going to stab myself or force myself to keep doing this if I don't see the point or gain any satisfaction from doing it.
Kurenai: Don't push yourself too hard. I'm sure your friends are grateful that you got this out... even though it's two years late.
Doctor: Screw you too, Kurenai. Well, see you soon.