Reviews:
wolf354 zxc: Hope the Pairing is Rei Liafall x Shizuna Rem Misurugi.
Read more to find out- XD
gamer611: (The review was slightly long so I'll just put my response)
Thank you for the kind words! Writing Shizuna is fun and definitely adds more humor to a chapter. Since this is pre-canon, Elaine would very well likely take Rei into custody. There all pretty much still green! Rei was never the type to knock politely on someone's door, so of course that his way of wanting to meet Van hehe. For his surname, at some point, yes!
Cobalt Striker Gundam: Hah I called It. I knew Shizuna might get involved in killing him Not to mention that Rei's old Weaipn will be fixed at last! And finally Van and Rei finally meet at last I want to see that..
Shizuna will get involved a lot in his life, but that's all I'll say at the moment. Things will only get hectic from here now that the mercenary and fixer have met!
"What do you want?" Van queried. The Spriggan doubted the mercenary lured him into the subway just to kill him.
"Hmm? What do you mean? Ain't it obvious?" His assailant feigned confusion before his tone sharpened like a razor. "I'm here to kill you."
"Intimidating me?" Van scoffed with a challenging smirk. The merc's tone was hardly convincing. If the guy wanted to kill him, the fixer would have a hint of killing intent. That's not all... "A professional wouldn't waste his time talking to his soon-to-be-dead man. He would have pulled the trigger by now. You're either a complete novice or have a different reason for luring me here."
The black-haired mercenary's brow twitched upon being called a novice. It was the only facial indication that he felt offended, and Van chuckled mockingly at his reaction. He hit a sore spot, didn't he?
"A professional shouldn't let provocations get to him." He reminded.
He waited for his assailant to flip and lose his cool to find an opening, but his next response threw him for a loop. He laughed. A lively, unhinged laughter echoed throughout the abandoned subway, followed by the feeling of metal being pulled away from the back of his head.
"I hate to admit it, but you're right. A professional shouldn't let anything their target says affect them, lest they want to lose a kill." The olive-banged man backed away with a sigh. This was his chance!
Kicking his stun caliber off the ground and into the air, Van caught the handle as he fired his coin bullets. They flew in a blink of an eye, speeding like actual bullets. The merc grew a grin as he fired back his own bullets. Bang, bang, bang! The projectiles bounced off against each other before the two threw themselves at each other with a lunge.
Bladed edge fought bladeless steel as they relentlessly exchanged blows, sparks coming to life with each graze of their weapons. Van grimaced at the increasing weight of his opponent's strikes. He wasn't a traditional swordsman, but there was still technique and skill behind his savage attacks. The Spriggan focused on being defensive, but it wasn't what he preferred to be doing right now. The man's stench was distracting, flooding the fixer's mind with questions and agitation.
The more the mercenary attacked, the easier Van could picture a wolf lashing out in a bloodthirsty rampage.
'Just who is this guy?!'
His aggressor pulled the trigger of his weapon twice, and the blade lit up in an eerie purple.
"Why so distracted, Spriggan!"
With a heavy swing, his deadly blade faced Van's edgeless blade, forcing him to block. The weight placed in the sword began to slowly push him back. Van gritted his teeth, his mind racing to come up with a counterattack. If he could exploit a blind spot, he could incapacitate him.
The assassin continued to smirk and push the Stun Caliber back until he noticed a familiar logo branded on the weapon.
'The MTSC logo? Wait, could he be...'
The force behind the mechanical longsword slightly decreased, and Van immediately took advantage of that. Using a unique breathing technique, the Spriggan put all he had in his edgeless blade, sending the sword flying out of his opponent's grasp. He wasted no time and swung his Stun Caliber down, pulling the trigger.
"Haaa!"
"Oh fuck, wait!"
ZZZZZZ! PAAANG!
Azure lightning crackled and danced as a blinding flash covered the entire area. Van covered his eyes with his arm to protect his sight, slowly releasing the trigger and waiting for his discharge to die down. The electrical discharge wasn't enough to kill, but enough to knock his assailant out or at least paralyze him.
When the sound of the crackling lightning faded, the fixer removed his arm, eyes going wide.
"Dammit, I told you to wait..."
The olive-banged assailant stood firm while gripping the Stun Caliber with his bare hand. His clothes were burnt due to the lightning, with blood running down his skin. The attack definitely connected that much Van was certain... But how could the guy take the full brunt of the discharge and still stand like it was nothing? It was insane.
"How..."
"Did you seriously think that was enough to make knock me out? All that did was tickle me." He chuckled, releasing the weapon from his grip. He inspected his clothes and sighed. "I'll get these fixed tomorrow."
Van put away his weapon with a scowl. He was still wary, but he sensed there was no need to continue fighting. The dark-haired mercenary picked up his blade from the ground, twirling it before he rested the blunt side on his shoulder.
"As I was saying before you electrocuted me,"
"I'm not apologizing."
"And I don't need it." He shook his head. "Now, if you'll let me continue, I wanted to ask if you were an external tester for Marduk."
Van raised a brow before narrowing his eyes. "Why do you want to know?"
"Bah, you just needed to say yes or no." An eye roll followed by a sigh. The man pointed at his instrument of death. "'Pologies, we got off on the wrong, but I'm the latest external tester for the Combat Research Department. Rei Liafall."
"The latest external tester?" Now that he mentioned it, he recalled Risette informing him about the possibility of a new guy testing Marduk's latest prototype in her recent orbmails. "Do you have proof? I can't take some mercenary's words as the truth; I hope you understand."
"Fair," Rei tossed Hrunting and his orbment at the Spriggan, as he barely caught them. "I might have missed it, but the logo's probably somewhere on there. You can look at my orbmails from Thorndyke and Risette if you're not convinced. Oh, I also have Kasim's number there."
Okay, the guy knew the service concierge, the general manager, and his instructor. And he uttered their names with a familiar tone, maybe not Thorndyke's, but the familiarity behind his voice for the other two was true. After going through his contacts to confirm the three MK employees were there (which they were), Van glanced at the blade rifle.
Deep blue hues spotted the familiar logo engraved on the blade, though it was much more subtle and fainter than the one on his Stun Caliber. No one would notice the logo if they weren't actively looking for it.
"Fine, I believe you." Van grudgingly conceded as he tossed his belongings back to Rei. "You were clearly looking for a Spriggan, even going so far as to lure me into an abandoned subway. I'm assuming you have a vague idea what a Spriggan does?"
"You pretty much do things that normally can't be handled by the police or bracers, for a price, of course."
"You're not that far off the mark. I call requests from my potential clients a '4spg.'" The fixer nodded, his arms crossed. "It's true I usually take requests that can't be done by the bracers or police, but I don't just accept any 4spg. I have lines I do not cross, and it's up to me whether or not I will take your request."
"Interesting. So that is how you operate..."
Taking in the info, Rei took out a photo from his inner coat pocket, showing it to the Spriggan.
"I've been looking for this woman for four years. And to be honest, this is the first photo I've seen of her."
Van took the picture off the mercenary's hands, furrowing his brows. "What do you mean by that?"
"I've been looking around for her through the description I got of her appearance four years ago from... someone I met on the battlefield." His lips twisted into a scowl, soon shook his head. "I want your help in finding her."
The dark-haired fixer stared at the photo with a hand on his chin. Auburn hair and golden eyes, a combination Van hasn't seen before in his life as a Spriggan. Her facial features were attractive enough that he could at least vaguely recall the face if he did see her.
"Are you sure this woman is the one you're looking for? You said it yourself; this is the first photo you've seen of her face. All you had to go by in the past was a description of what she looked like from someone who's seen or known her."
The scowl stitched on Rei's face deepened as he clenched a fist hard enough to draw blood. "I get what you're saying, but this is my only lead. This photo might not be her in the end, but the chances of her still being the woman I'm looking for aren't zero!"
Desperation. He heard it loud and clear. And his eyes conveyed the emotion with such intensity Van felt like he was surrounded by flames.
Rubbing his neck, he returned the photo to his fellow external tester.
"My services aren't cheap."
Rei's eyes widened. "Then that means...?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. I haven't decided whether I should accept your request or not." Van smiled faintly and extended his hand. "But I don't mind hearing more details in my office."
Rei stared at the fixer's offered handshake for a few seconds. A grin made itself known to his visage as he reached for Van's hand.
Then a monstrous scream came.
"What the?!"
"That came from...!"
Both of them looked toward the passageway leading to the Dark-Light District, picking up the sound of the distressed panic coming from the district. If it was loud enough for them to hear, something really bad must have happened there!
The two gave each other a look and nodded, heading for the underground district. They'll have to finish their conversation later.
Screams and cries of terror enveloped the underbelly of Edith as its residents fled from the area. The ground was bloodied, with corpses of fallen mercenaries littering the ground. Stalls were seemingly cut in half, with injured stall owners looking for a place to hide, unable to leave. Echoes of gunfire reverberated in the district as jaeger dropouts attacked the cause of their panic from behind the cloud of smoke. It was horrifying. A single monster was able to cause this much damage while armed mercenaries were around.
"Our bullets aren't working!" One of the jaeger dropouts exclaimed.
"This is insane! Why the hell aren't our armor-piercing affecting this thing!?"
"O-Our swords aren't cutting it either!" Another leaped back from the smoke cloud in frustration. "Look out!"
The panic of the dropouts increased when one of the sword-wielders cried in pain, a cut slashing through its armor. Green, buglike feet stepped out of the smoke cloud as fear colored the visage of the mercenaries. Its creeping golden orbs flickered to its wounded prey, slowly approaching the jaeger dropout with its scythe hand raised.
It was a monster no one has seen ever before: a humanoid mantis.
As it tilted its head, the monstrosity raised its bloody scythe to end the poor fool's life.
"S-Someone shoot it! Please!"
His pleas fell on deaf ears. The people he considered comrades abandoned him as they made a desperate attempt to flee. The man's eyes grew wide in horror. This was the end of the line for him. Despair soaked his being, forcing him to crawl away from the mantis. It was futile.
The scythe of the creature pierced the man's chest. His mouth opened, yet there was no scream, only a waterfall of blood.
The mantis creature pulled its scythe hand away and scouted for its next prey. A shades-wearing man with golden-blonde hair witnessed the cruel scene with an amused grin. His fingers twitched in excitement, begging him to bust a hole in the monster's chest. Trust him, he wanted to go and fight the creature himself, but he needed to see what it was capable of first.
Its body was able to withstand armor-piercing bullets, swords did not cut through its shell, and the creature outsped the mercenaries it killed. Its scythe was sharp enough that it sliced through things like butter. Ah, the thought of fighting the humanoid insect pumped adrenaline into his veins.
"It doesn't look like it's a mindless freak either." The man grunted, thinking the creature had some form of intelligence.
"So this is where you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" A childish voice came from the shadows. The shades-wearing man didn't look surprised as he turned around. "I'm sure you're enjoying the show, but the Grandmaster is calling for us."
A young boy with bright green hair that covered his left eye came forward from the darkness, a unique red mark under his only visible orb. The air he gave off... was like a circus clown's, but the chaos around him was undeniable. The older man scoffed and returned his attention to the mantis' hunt.
"Not just the Anguises?"
"Yup. Though it'll likely just be a roll call for those participating in the Phantasmal Blaze Plan." The clown twirled a strand of his hair around his finger. "Now, chop-chop! We don't want to keep the Grandmaster waiting, do we?"
"Gah... Always spoiling my fun."
"It's not like you were fighting that thing— Whoops!" The boy took a step back to evade the man's jab. "You almost hit my face, Walter!"
"Even if it did, I doubt you'd feel much pain from it." The orangette grinned, pocketing his hands. "Go on ahead. I'll head back in a bit. Also, you already knew that I was here, didn't you? Fucking liar."
"Haha! I am The Fool! Lying is part of the package!" Wind circulated around the 'boy' as he raised a hand. "Very well, but don't keep us waiting." With a snap, The Fool teleported away, finally leaving Walter alone.
The martial artist grunted with a smirk, sensing two newcomers approaching the district. It sucked he won't be able to witness further carnage, but the boss was calling. A magic circle popped out beneath his feet as he adjusted his gloves. Light surrounded his body before teleporting away. As Walter left, Beowulf and the Spriggan arrived.
Their eyes went wide upon witnessing the destruction of the district, trying to process how everything was sent to ruin, especially Rei. He was here a few hours ago, and everything was still fine! Van frowned as he took out his Stun Caliber, eyeing the insect humanoid. Rei snapped out of it and followed suit as he whipped out Hrunting.
"You got to be kidding me. That thing caused all of this?"
"Don't let your guard down just because it's alone," Van warned. "It ain't a pushover if it could cause this much damage."
"Ugh... I know that!"
"G-Get back!"
The pair heard a cry as their heads snapped toward the direction of the voice. It was Morgan, firing off bullets at the monster as it crept towards him. The projectiles bounced off its hardened torso like rubber pellets, instilling more fear into the man. The creature took a step forward, appearing in front of him in an instant.
It raised both scythes as it swung. However, the monster didn't meet flesh but steel.
"M-Mr. Liafall!?"
"Oh no, you don't! I owe this man for repairing my gun and making it even better than before. I can't let you kill him!" Rei pushed its bladed hands upward, followed by a nasty kick to its face, sending the monster flying across the district. "Go for it!"
"Haaaaa!" Van took off, lunging himself toward the mantis. He kicked the ground off and raised his bladeless caliber, lightning discharging from it. "Raging Buster!"
He slammed the Stun Caliber at the monstrosity's chest as lightning roared and cracked the ground. The azure spark surged throughout its body as it shook and trembled. The discharge was at its highest level, now capable of killing humans. It was a sure kill, but why was Rei's heart beating uneasily?
The blinding light of the lightning died down, and Van pulled away from their enemy.
THUMP!
"Get back!"
"?!"
Like a machine restarting, the mantis mutant rose back to its feet with its scythes ready to take a life. The sudden revival startled the Spriggan as he tried to make some distance. The monster did not allow him the opportunity as it darted with great speed. Van clenched his teeth as he blocked the slash with his weapon. However, the power of its swing knocked him off the ground, throwing him toward a mountain of rubble. The mutant creature was about to go for a follow-up attack, though bullets stopped its path.
"Stop right there. I'm the one you're dealing with now." He smirked at the bug, then spared Morgan a glance. "Run. Help evacuate anyone who's still around here. Call the bracers or police. We're gonna need them here once this is over."
The masked man was hesitant at first but nodded and took off running. The monster readied to give chase, and Rei readied to deny it that privilege. The mutant ran, and it was riddled with bullets, purple goop escaping from the bullet holes. It was confused. How did bullets affect its hard exterior? Normal bullets weren't effective... Septium bullets aren't normal bullets.
Its bug eyes glared at the smoke that left the muzzle of the mercenary's firearm.
"BRRAAAAAAAAHHHH!" It roared a screech, a purple aura covering its body.
"Getting serious, are we? Come on then!"
Launching himself toward the mantis, Rei loaded his blade rifle with a septium bullet and pulled the trigger. Amber-colored septium energy consumed the blade as the swordsman drew an arc, sending a wave of heat at the mutant. The monster sliced through the shockwave, then swung its scythes against Hrunting, the two trying to overpower each other. The dark-haired man grunted, and one could see a savage grin on his face. Such confidence, the look irritated the monster as it screeched once more.
How annoying. The ex-jaeger held Lobo with his free hand, taking aim at his foe's left knee. He poured energy into the gun, wild orange markings forming on his piece.
"High Beast Bite!"
Pulling the trigger, an amber blast of energy in the shape of a wolf's head roared out of the muzzle. Its jaws snapped open as it mauled on its knee like it was fresh meat, ripping it off from its body. Its balance was thrown off in response to a missing limb as it shrieked in pain, and Rei exploited it with a devilish smirk on his features. He slashed one of its scythes clean off its arm, rotating himself soon after as he delivered a roundhouse kick.
The mutant flew violently toward the destroyed stalls as Rei looked over his shoulder.
"You got this?"
"Yeah..."
Van narrowed his gaze as lightning flickered around his weapon, and bruises colored his skin. He stood behind the mercenary, ready to finish it. Rei chuckled and loaded a fire septium bullet, aiming at their opponent.
"I'll lend a hand, just to be safe."
"Do whatever you want."
The body of the mantis mutant twitched as it tried getting back up, but its body did not respond to its will. Van swung his edgeless blade, and Rei pressed the trigger. Lightning and fire zoomed across the district, meeting the insectoid. Fiery destruction laid waste to their enemy as it let out a final cry. Its figure could be seen in the curtain of flames, flailing in agony as its form was slowly consumed by the fire until it couldn't be seen anymore.
Inserting a water septium bullet, Rei launched a stream of aqua as it extinguished the flames. The body of their enemy was nowhere to be found, the two assuming it was burnt to ashes. The merc released a sigh, falling onto the ground on his ass.
"Goddamn! That was a pain in the ass to deal with."
"Oi, why are you complaining? You weren't the one that crashed on a pile of rubble." Van grumbled but did the same. "You said that gun of yours was made by Morgan earlier?"
"Yeah." Beowulf flipped Lobo around a few times, smirking. "Guy's a little strange, but he sure made good use of those parts I got from Marduk. This puppy has both firepower and rapid fire on par with the latest military firearms, no, maybe even more!"
"And you were planning on popping my head with that." Van deadpanned.
"I'm truly sorry. I won't say that I'll kill you next time. I was kidding when I said." He did not sound apologetic. At all! Van rubbed his temple in exasperation before coming to a realization.
"Just a sec, were you talking about the newest firearm parts Marduk's developing?" The merc nodded. "Why in the Goddess' name did they allow an outsider like Morgan to use their parts? No, the better question is: how did you get your hands on them?"
Van admitted he didn't know all of the rules and regulations of the military company, but he sure as hell knew that they were strict about what happens to their merchandise! Van would have understood if it was a weapon like his Stun Caliber and Rei's Hrunting. Marduk never gave out prototype parts without a matching weapon to use them with. Unless...
"They gave you those parts, right?"
Rei said nothing.
"They gave you those parts, right ?"
Still nothing...
"..."
Marduk didn't give him those parts.
"Who the heck did they even hire..."
Rei let out a cackle, his lips twisting into a grin.
"They hired Beowulf."
...They hired an infamous mercenary as an external tester? The Blazing Whirlwind wasn't enough for them? Marduk kept racking up those shady points. The merc's ears twitched as he got up from the ground.
"We'll be talking more about my request in your office, yeah? Where's it at?"
"It's in Old Town— the Eighth District."
"Gotcha," Strapping Hrunting on his back, he dusted himself off. "Well then, I'll see you there."
"What—"
"Mr. Liafall! Van!"
Van turned toward the entrance, spotting the masked man with a few bracers and CID with him— Elaine, Olivia, and René included. He flinched at their appearance but soon stood back up. Great, and he thought their encounter earlier would be the last one for the day.
"We need to leave..." He grumbled as he turned to Rei— who was already gone. That bastard!
His childhood friends ran up to him, one having a concerned and alarmed look while the other held a curious gaze.
"You're hurt..." Elaine muttered, her fingers grazing his bruises as he met his eyes with a saddened frown. "What happened, Van?"
"I'm okay. Just had to deal with a troublesome monster." He sighed.
The brunette scanned the ruined area, furrowing his brows. "We heard Morgan's account of what happened, but we need your side of the story as well. You already dealt with it, correct?"
"Yeah, I'll tell ya what you want to know. But I can only tell you what happened after we arrived."
"Let me treat your injuries first," Elaine interjected as she made him sit back on the ground.
"I told you I'm—"
"Van."
He shut his mouth upon receiving a glare, settling for a sigh instead. Olivia came over with a first aid kit and glanced at the dead mercenaries, her lips curling downward.
"You said 'we.' You came here with someone?"
The Spriggan's visage contorted into an annoyed scowl. "I did, but the jerk already left..."
Olivia raised a brow but didn't ask any further, knowing the man would be questioned later.
As Elaine patched him up, Van informed them of what had just transpired. Despite the total ass move that Rei pulled on him, Van refrained from mentioning his name during his whole account. Adding Van and Morgan's statement about the monster, they all grew concerned at its capabilities, wondering if there were more like it. René had given the other agents an order to investigate how it got inside the Dark-Light District while the bracers took care of the victims of the mutant.
"Can I go now? I think I answered all of your questions." A sigh parted from Van's lips.
"Are you sure you don't know the name of the ex-jaeger who assisted you?" Olivia pressed him.
"I don't, but he said he was part of an infamous jaeger corps. He never stated which one though."
A half-truth. Rei's title gave away which corps he used to belong to. He didn't need to tell Van which one. His information network had already informed him of Beowulf's departure from Zephyr when he was building his connections.
"I see. Okay, you can go home now." A smile graced Livia's face as she patted Van's head. "Thank you for answering our questions."
"Gah, stop that!" Van groaned in embarrassment but didn't resist the headpat. "I'll leave things here to you guys."
As the Spriggan began walking out of the Dark-Light District, a hand caught his arm, stopping him from leaving. Even without turning his head, Van knew who held his arm in a firm grip. He grumbled.
"You aren't going to let me go home alone, aren't you?"
"Your wounds may have been treated, but you're still hurt. Not to mention the state you were in back in the waterway. I doubt you already recovered from it..." Elaine reasoned with a softer look in her eye. Van awkwardly rubbed his neck. He had no excuse to give. "I'll escort you back to your place. And no, you don't have a say in this." She narrowed her eyes into a half-lidded glare.
"B-But..."
"I'll escort you as well." René chimed in. "We'll use a car to take you home, so you won't have the need to exert your body."
Dammit. There go his chances of escaping. Begrudgingly, Van followed his childhood friends and left the underground area, all the while groaning in his mind.
The walk was silent, and the trio soon returned to the surface of the Seiden District. The bespectacled brunette led them to one of the CID vehicles, and the three got inside. Elaine forced Van into the backseat, much to his displeasure. After strapping themselves, René drove off, and they left the second district.
"So, where do you live, Van?" The CID agent asked, looking at Van through the rear-view mirror.
"Just drop me off in Vieux Quartier."
"Old Town?" Elaine queried.
"Mhm..."
Silence fell over the three, an uncomfortable silence. Van gazed out the window, staring at the lights that lit the city. His hand held the left side of his ribs as if to ease the aching he felt. The flaxen-haired woman peeked over her seat in worry but chose to stay quiet. The older man resisted the urge to sigh. Things had never felt this uncomfortable between the three before, and they did not exactly know how to handle the tension.
Van, the one who left them behind and disappeared, didn't utter a word. Elaine fought an internal battle, debating whether she should press him for answers. But she knew whether he answered her questions or not, it would make the tension in the air worse. She was not blind. Her orbs could see through his indifferent mask, traces of uneasiness littering his countenance.
She held her own mask up, keeping a hold of her emotions as she closed her eyes. Sensing how strained the air had become, René decided to ease the air.
"I'm surprised you didn't break more bones during the fight. You made it sound like the monster broke three to four of your ribs." The brunette remarked with an amused grin.
"Screw off! Say that again when you experienced getting thrown into a pile of rubble." Van groaned and rubbed his forehead.
"No, thanks. It doesn't sound like a very pleasant experience. The debris must have been hard on your back."
"Tch, smartass."
"I did excel in academics more than you, Van."
The Spriggan sent a mock glare of annoyance on the agent's way, which he returned with a smirk. Elaine sighed at their antics, but a smile formed on her pretty face.
"You two sound like bickering preschoolers."
"Oi."
"Perhaps, but I'm not as bad as you and Van back when he called that Crossbell mascot weird. You two argued for an hour."
"You idiot! Why did you have to bring that up!?"
Elaine's expression suddenly darkened as she glared daggers at both of her childhood friends, especially at Van. Being reminded of the memory lit something inside her as she clenched a fist.
"Mishy is not weird; he's adorable! He is a champion of justice and friendship that spreads happiness to children and adults alike! Calling him weird is an insult to me, Mishy, and every single one of his fans in Zemuria; you will be punished for such heresy!" Elaine passionately defended her favorite cat mascot with an intensity that rivaled Rei's desperation. Van couldn't help but sweatdrop.
"I just don't see the appeal of some cat..." That was the worse thing he could have said at that moment...
"Some... cat...? Some cat?!"
"Here we go again..."
Despite Rene's words, his eyes danced in amusement as Elaine resumed her passionate spiel for the Crossbell's mascot. Van was forced to listen to her speech with a wry grin, cursing himself internally for his choice of words. The two eventually ended up playfully bickering as the brunette drove to Old Town. Oh well, it was better than awkward silence.
...
"Just park in front of that bistro."
The car slowed down and parked in front of Montmart; Van got off the vehicle, then turned to his childhood friends.
"I didn't need it but thanks for the ride, René."
"No need. I simply wanted to fulfill my desire to spend some time with my 'younger siblings.'" He grinned, receiving a deadpan look from the fixer.
"Whatever, four-eyes." He rolled his eyes, then briefly focused on Elaine, smiling awkwardly. "Later."
As Van turned his back, Elaine called out to him.
"Van!"
"Yeah?" He looked back, quirking a brow.
The blonde held her tongue for a second. She didn't know why she stopped him, but the words soon came to her mind as she waved at the dark-haired fixer.
"I pray for your swift recovery. Good night, Van." A smile was not present on her face, but her voice and words conveyed what she felt.
Van stared at her baby blues, and Elaine stared at his azures. Then, his lips quirked into a faint but soft smile.
"Right... Good night, Elaine. You too, René."
The two nodded as Van saw them off, hearing the sound of the engine fade into the distance. Running a finger through his bluish-black locks, Van went inside the bistro.
"You're late."
The Spriggan was greeted by Montmart's chief. His brows creased with a frown. Van rubbed his neck apologetically, seeing Paulette at one of the tables with Yume sleeping on her lap. Montmart's Madonna stroked her daughter's rosy mane, then smiled sadly upon seeing the man's bandages.
"Are you okay? Yume got worried when you missed dinner."
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt, promise." He then grunted when a spike of pain flared in his left side. "Well, maybe just a bit. I got dragged into something pretty hectic in the Dark-Light District. You may have heard of what happened."
The serious, no-joke expression and how Van didn't bother lying about his involvement told Victor everything he wanted to know. He did hear about the tragedy that fell the underground district. Sure, it was filled with scum, mercenaries, and black-market dealers. But there were innocent people trying to survive there as well! None of the civilians died, but they were all badly injured and lost the place they could call their home. Some may think being dead was a better fate than surviving with no home to return to...
Grunting, Victor turned his back and crossed his arms.
"Your dinner's in your office. Eat up and get some rest." Van blinked before smiling sheepishly.
"Thanks."
"You have to apologize to Yume once you wake up tomorrow." The rose-haired waitress giggled as Van nodded. "Oh, I almost forgot. There's someone waiting for you in your office. They said they were a client of yours."
'That guy...' He internally groaned in annoyance. "Gotcha."
Saying his good night, the Spriggan left the bistro through the other door and went upstairs. A scowl instantly grew on his visage as he arrived at the second floor. His nose picked up the familiar stench of the trespassing wolf.
Van turned the doorknob, feeling the door had been unlocked. Groaning under his breath, Van went inside and saw the intruder sitting on his couch. He was casually doing maintenance on his blade rifle while bandaging his forehead, his coat draped beside him. The nerve of this guy, making himself at home.
Rei stopped his business to greet the director as he grinned.
"Yo, welcome back. I went and heated up your dinner. It already had gotten cold when I got here."
"Gee, thanks." That was the best sarcastic reply he could come up with. He was too drained.
Removing his jacket, Van hung it up and then plopped down on the other couch, catching his breath as he gave the ex-jaeger a half-lidded look.
"You really went straight to my office, huh? Waiting downstairs wasn't an option for you?"
"Dude, that was my initial plan after asking where you lived, but that chief's glare was too intense, even for me." ...That was somewhat of a reasonable excuse. Van, too, was a victim of Victor's glare, though he had gotten used to it, as long as it wasn't his 'I'll murder you if you make my granddaughter cry' look. "Anyways, go ahead and eat. We can talk about my request once you're done."
"No need. We can talk about it while I eat." He took a spoonful of gratin, putting it in his mouth. "Umph... Oh, and again, don't think I'll accept your 4spg after you tell me everything."
"Still upset I left ya back there?" A glare was Van's answer. "In my defense, I heard the heartbeat of someone I know. I don't want to get interrogated if they're simply going to interrogate me because they saw me in the scene."
"They'd interrogate you because you were involved, idiot." Van snapped while grumbling. "And what do you mean you heard their heartbeat?" He asked.
"Like I said, I heard their heartbeat." Rei leaned against the couch as he took out a pack of cigars. "Out of all my five senses, my hearing seems to be my best one. I not only can hear from a great distance, but I can hear the 'rhythm' of things. An example would be each person's footsteps. As long as I already know who they are, I can identify who's approaching based on their footsteps or heartbeat."
'His hearing is kind of like my scent of smell. Both are unnaturally sharp and possess a unique ability.' Van thought with a pondering gaze. "Oi, you can't smoke here."
"Shoot, really? Shit, I should have smoked earlier while you weren't here..."
His right eye twitched at the former jaeger's statement. Rei managed to annoy the Spriggan more times than anyone else in just one day. The fixer buried the desire to knock his cranium. Instead, took out a bag of sweets stored on his desk. Van tossed it to Rei, the mercenary catching it as he inspected the package.
"Tropical fruit-flavored lollipops?" The merc said the name of the packet. "You want me to substitute my cigars with candy? You can't be serious."
"I most certainly am." Van stood his ground, taking another bite of his meal. "Sucking on a lollipop is far better for your health than smoking a cigar."
"What are you, my mom?"
"Don't start complaining when you haven't tried them yet! They're good; the pineapple one's my personal favorite." Van opined as Rei reluctantly took one out of the packet.
Pineapple Blast Flavor!
The olive-banged man sweatdropped at the name but proceeded to unwrap the sucker. The orb of pineapple gold sparkled due to the room's light as Rei popped it into his mouth. For a candy, the flavor of the fruit tasted natural, not artificial. Sweet and sour with a refreshing taste!
"Mm..."
"What do you think?"
"It's... delicious," Rei admitted as he pulled it off his mouth. "I never tasted candy this good before."
"I told you it's good!" Van smirked smugly before clearing his throat. A sweatdrop. His triumphant excitement got the best of him there. "E-Enough of this tangent. Give me more details of what exactly you want me to do?"
"About that..." Beowulf returned the lollipop to his mouth, resting his elbows on his knees and locking his fingers together. "While waiting for you earlier, I've done some thinking. Doing Spriggan work allows you to build better connections and gain access to hard-to-obtain information easier, right?"
"Technically, yeah. Working for all sorts of people gives me opportunities to establish a network."
"Right. I initially wanted you to look for her whereabouts. But I realized finding her might be easier said than done, even with your connections." Rei referred to the auburn-haired woman as he closed his eyes.
"What do you suppose I do then?" Van tilted his head, perplexed.
He already knew that finding someone's location, missing or not, would be difficult no matter what. Van or one of his contacts would need access to an intelligence division-level database for them to find the auburn-haired woman in a short amount of time. Whether the woman had any information in said database was a different story...
Rei's eyes held burning determination as he got off his seat, whipping out the picture once more to the fixer.
"My 4spg for you is to assist me in finding this woman's whereabouts." That was pretty obvious, but then he cracked a grin, a feral grin. Van felt a chill down his spine. "And I'll be working with you as a Spriggan while we do my request!"
...
...
...
"What?!"
D-Did Van just hear him, right? Tell him he is hearing things, please...
"You heard me!" Aidios, he did hear him right! "I thought about working as a Spriggan somewhere else, but I figured it would be faster to build my connections here while working alongside you."
"W-Wait just a damn second! You don't have to work for me; Edith can have two Spriggans! And I'm not even hiring anyone!"
"Sorry pal, but I already decided." His grin faded, replaced with a hardened expression. "You saw my capabilities, so you know I won't drag you down when it comes to a fight. And I have my own set of contacts around Zemuria. I can count them all with one hand, but I know you'll find them handy. I'm not asking you to pay me. In fact, I'm actually offering my services. Free of charge."
The Spriggan narrowed his azure orbs upon hearing the last part of his statement. He was trying to digest everything Rei said, but his mouth automatically responded when the merc said he was offering his services.
"I don't need a hired gun."
Rei simply shook his head, licking his lollipop. "I know you don't. What I'm offering ain't my skills as a mercenary but as a double agent. Your line of work likely gives you some really unsavory jobs. I have no problem with taking them on in your place."
Van can't deny that. There were some requests in the past that were too shady by his standards, yet the prospect of gaining information by accepting them always hung in his mind. Van never went through and did those types of requests because he wasn't confident in his skills to deal with things by himself if things went south. The possibility of him losing his life was high.
But Rei? With his skills and unnatural tolerance for pain, the merc could very well likely overcome whatever the depths of the underworld threw at him.
Van inhaled a deep breath, slowly exhaling a sigh as he got up.
"I have my own set of rules and morals as a Spriggan. And to be frank, I don't want to hire you or anyone," He once again extended a hand to Rei. "But I have things that I need to deal with but are too troublesome to do alone. So, I'll... accept your services."
Biting the candy in half, Rei took his hand and shook it firmly, grinning. Blue and orange dyed in pitch black finally intertwined as the two each briefly picked up a scent and sound, respectively— the stench of a bloody wolf and the heartbeat of a sleeping demon.
"I'll be in your care from now on, Mr. Spriggan."
"It's Van. Van Arkride."
And that's a chapter done. I apologize for not uploading a chapter for two months. IRL was just really hectic, and a lot of Falcom news was around during those times. I also had to finish Kuro 2 when it was released. I have a few... opinions of the sequel, but I will say it is a fun game. The next chapter will be Rei-centric and shorter than 5k? Possibly. But anyways, thank you for reading! Till the next chapter.