Stronger Than Fire

By: Aviantei

Chapter Twelve

The afternoon passed without much hassle for once, mostly because Harper had been leading the tests, and not Cyneric. Renzo had been concerned about the man's lack of a Temptaint before, but not so much anymore. Once Cyneric got himself into an experiment, he would easily run himself or the test subject into the ground while trying to make progress. Harper, while not any less adamant, at least recognized Renzo's human capabilities.

Judging by how things were going, the Lucassens hadn't made any substantial breakthroughs. Harper always smiled and assured Renzo that being able to gather data was progress, but he was sure there were plenty of times that others—namely Cyneric—would disagree with that sentiment, especially when you were engaged in a battle with the world's foremost exorcist organization.

"Hey there, Kid."

Renzo looked up to see Emília walking down the hallway. He had just worked with her in the morning, but it seemed like so much longer with how many times he had knocked himself out in one afternoon. He was still a bit hazy from the last attempt, and rubbed his eyes. "Hey."

A few delayed moments passed, and it finally hit Renzo that she wasn't dressed in her uniform anymore. It was different from when she had been Adelaide in Britain; he could see the curves of her legs better, but she still had a poofy jacket on. I guess I'm never gonna be able to check her out properly, huh?

"Any progress yet?" Emilia asked, looking over to the Science Division entrance. A few people were trickling out, signaling the end of their work day. Still, the place was pretty full, and Renzo got the impression that the place always had at least one person in it, possibly two more if you counted the ones passed out at their desks. Renzo just hadn't worked up the energy to head to his room yet.

Renzo shrugged, knocking his shoulders against the wall. "Harper says I'm spending less time unconscious, but I'm not so sure about that," he reported. He felt like he spent more time on a futon than doing anything useful. Was he really getting paid for this? "But I've only been summoning Yamantaka for a few minutes at a time, so I don't know if that really counts." To be honest, Renzo was pretty sure that the demon was getting pretty annoyed with him, even though the situation had been explained.

Emília nodded. "Sounds about right. I'm sure Harper's analyzing what your body does while you're unconscious or something like that." She shrugged as well, making the movement look much more graceful. "Well, it's Friday night and you've had to put up with the Lucassens for several days in a row. So I'm here to drag you out for dinner as a treat."

"Dinner?" Renzo repeated, trying to make sure that he had heard things right. Because if he had, then the implication was… "Like a date? Or are you just messing with me again and this is gonna be filled with nothing but work talk like at the café?" Renzo wasn't sure which option was preferable. Well, there was the one he wanted, but he wasn't so sure that it would be the right answer in the long run.

Emília snickered. "Unless you think Arlie has any sort of romantic inclination towards you or me, then it's not a date," she answered. Renzo's heart didn't plummet as far as he would have thought—it must have been a sense of logic saving him the trouble. "But there's no way I would spend my precious free time on a Friday night talking about work. Nope, it's a night to relax, and I figured you would appreciate a change of pace."

"Yeah," Renzo said, not even having to remind himself to smile. He was ready to ask where they were going, but stopped himself. "Just let me go ahead and get changed first."

Sitting at the bar wasn't quite as awkward as Renzo had thought it would be. The wayward thought reminded him that he was sixteen by now, and, according to the laws of Europe, could drink. He wasn't sure if he had the courage to do such a thing, let alone in front of his boss. The second reservation seemed to do nothing to hinder Nikita from ordering an "all you can drink!" special from the get go.

"You don't understand," xe said, graciously accepting xir first drink off the bartender. Now her, she was a beauty that Renzo hadn't expected to find tucked away in a place like this, but he wasn't going to complain. "It looks great that we're getting all this attention for our good work, but I'm getting tired of being the go-to for processing reports. What's the point of being third-in-command if all I do is play secretary?" Concluding xir sentence, Nikita easily downed at least half of the first drink of the evening.

"Stenographer," Emília corrected, patting xem on the back. "If you're that worried, we can train up some of the noobs to spend their time recording the thoughts of us lazy higher-ups." The drink in front of her was non-alcoholic, so Renzo wasn't worried about her getting too worked up. But if she did get drunk, maybe pass out, then as the gentleman he could piggy-back her back to the room, and if he saw something he shouldn't have on the way…

That was it. Renzo had spent too much time without any magazines. He even had a solo room, so it wouldn't be as impossible to get some alone time as he had sharing a room with Konekomaru and Bon, or even his brothers. The first thing he was doing tomorrow morning was enjoying his day off privileges to get some magazines, maybe even waste a few hours afterwards.

Cataloguing the thought for later, Renzo cleared his throat. "I thought we weren't supposed to talk about work tonight?" he suggested, already sounding lame. Dammit, was the gap between sixteen and nineteen really that different? No wonder she treated him like a kid all the time—he really was one.

Emília smiled as suspected. "There's a difference between discussing and complaining," she informed, holding a slender index finger in the air. "So if you've got anything you wanna get off your chest, go for it. Even if it's complaints about me, I don't mind!"

Renzo doubted the sincerity of that statement, and looked to Nikita tucked away in the corner. "It's true," xe said, looking amused for the first time. Renzo wondered if that was the alcohol or just the effects of being away from the workspace. "One time I was hardly even wasted and I called her a bitch."

Emília smiled as if the memory was something to look back on with fondness. "And I told xem they better figure out which mood they were in so I could hurl the appropriately themed insults," she added on. "It was a pretty rowdy night. Good thing the place was empty then or we would have been tossed out for sure."

"And I come back to work Monday to see that I've somehow been promoted." Xe nudged Emília's arm, nearly spilling over both their drinks straight onto the counter. "You couldn't even write up a good reason why you were doing it. Nobody said a word, though."

"That's 'cause it's my department and what I do in it is my damn business." Having balanced herself on the barstool again, Emília picked up her glass, taking a short sip. "Besides, you stood up to me, plus you work hard. I needed someone with both balls and brains to get things done in my absence."

Nikita snorted so hard that Renzo was worried the beer would come straight out xir nose. "You mean so everyone will think you're hard at work when you decide to run away."

"You know me too well."

Renzo went to sip at his drink, only to find ice rattling around in an otherwise empty glass. He had been nursing it absentmindedly, but he didn't expect it to be empty already. As if summoned by the sound, the bartender appeared, her torso suddenly appearing in Renzo's vision. He quickly tried to adjust his attention to her face—strawberry blonde, short hair, brown eyes—only to have Emília and Nikita erupt into unheeded giggles beside him.

The bartender didn't pay them any mind, only focusing on the customer in need, which Renzo realized was him. "I asked if you wanted anything for a refill," she said, smiling. "Maybe something stronger to help you keep up with these idiots."

"Come on, Devi," Emília whined at the same time Nikita pouted, "Rude…"

Renzo considered it; was it really okay to have his first intentional alcohol experience around his boss? Then again, his first drink had come from Shura, who was supposed to be acting as his teacher, and Nikita would probably be wasted by the end of the night, so what did it really matter? "Sure," he said, just barely managing to come with the addition of, "whatever you recommend."

"Coming right up!" Devi—was it?—strode off. Just before she turned, Renzo could see the curve in her blouse, and it slid perfectly into her waist, then her hips. She probably wouldn't be out of place in a magazine with curves like that—and Renzo knew he was never spending a month and a half like this ever again. He wasn't even drunk and he couldn't go for five seconds without thinking about sex.

"Before you ask, she's single," Emília whispered by his ear. Renzo nearly smacked her in the jaw with his elbow as he jolted, but she moved away easily. "Gets asked out by lots of drunks all the time, but nobody serious. She'd probably love it if you said something while you were sober."

"Whoa, you get attached that easily, huh?" Nikita added. Without Renzo noticing, xe had been blessed with a second mug, which looked full to the brim. "A few curves, huh? Maybe you should check out—"

"What'sshedoingworkinginaplacelikethis?" Renzo rushed out, not mentally prepared for a conversation like that. He hardly had a chance understanding the whole gender scenario, let alone figuring out any of equally dangerous territory of sexual orientation. Nikita didn't even have the decency to look put out. "I mean, sure, it's nice and all, but bar work usually isn't the first thing that people turn to."

Emília nodded, and for some reason, Renzo found himself staring at the beads, then her neck. "True enough, but it's nothing too crazy," she said. "I'd say questions like that are best directed at the girl you're interested in, not your information fortissimo of a boss."

Renzo was about to say You are the girl I'm interested in, but he stopped himself. Rattling off pick-up lines in front of Nikita probably wasn't the smartest thing he could spend his time on. It was bad enough they were going to be drinking in the same semi-memorable proximity, no need to add any more ammunition. Not to say the bigender was that type, but Renzo realized he was missing a lot of information on the people around him and didn't want to take chances.

"Huh, he likes someone?" Devi commented, the mug of alcohol silently descending to the countertop. Renzo paled at the size of it, but he did suppose he hadn't really given any specifics, let alone mention he was a first-time drinker. "Funny, Emí, I thought he was your boyfriend."

It was a good thing that Renzo hadn't tried out his drink yet, otherwise it would have been spit out directly onto Devi's shirt. Getting the thing wet would have only made it tighter, and then…

Emília dropped her arm around Renzo's shoulder, her cheek resting comfortably next to his. "Nah, just my subordinate," she said. If Renzo had been in Devi's position, he would have been getting very mixed messages at this point. Hell, he was in his own position and he was getting mixed messages. "I don't dabble in romance anyway, so it would take a lot of work to get myself a boyfriend, huh?" Hey, why did she have to be so close—?

"Well then." Devi smiled, and Renzo wasn't sure how was supposed to take that, either. "Just speak your mind. Most girls like having guys be honest about their feelings." She looked away, and Renzo followed her gaze to another set of patrons, waving for attention. "Good luck with your crush, kay?"

Being honest about my feelings, huh? Yeah, he had tried that with Izumo back in Inari, and look where that had gotten him. Besides, crush was too strong a word for a few feelings tossed around after seeing a girl in a tight shirt. Maybe I should just finish my drink and leave…

Nikita leaned forward to peak around Emília, just barely grazing the edges of Renzo's peripheral vision. "My advice: chug it," xe said.

Renzo gave Emília a glance. It was pathetic that he was asking for her permission, but it was his default by now. Besides, she was paying for the thing. She smiled, peeling their cheeks apart. "It's a celebration, Kid," she said. "If you want it, go for it."

Deciding it was better than trying to walk away in his current state, Renzo brought the mug to his lips.

"You sure this is okay?" Arlie asked, almost leaning over into xir next drink. Emília hadn't bothered counting since Arlie would keep xemself conscious as long as possible until either Emília or the barkeep called it quits. Even though it was pushing three in the morning, Emília still felt wired, so it was probably going to have to be Devi to make the call for both of them. "He's probably going to hate you for letting him drink so much." It was incredible how xe could keep xir words from slurring at this point.

Emília looked over to Renzo, who was decidedly passed out on the countertop. It had been a few hours since his initial collapse, and he had hardly budged since. Judging by how he had already asked for a refill on his pills, it was probably the first sleep he had gotten without them.

"He'll be fine," Emília decided, not really having any concerns about the matter. "He adores me, so I'm sure he'll get over it in time. Besides, he'll have a whole weekend to stew about it if it really bothers him that much." She laughed, feeling a bit listless. Maybe she would have to make the call soon. It wouldn't do them any good if Emília fell over while getting the other two back home safe.

Arlie tapped the counter with xir fingers, missing half the beats. "Hmmmmm?" xe said, and Emília was glad she had long adjusted to the concentrated stench of alcohol. "So you've known, huh? You just playin' with him then? Messing with his head a bit? Don't tell me you really do wanna play around in romance."

Emília rolled her eyes, shoving Arlie off her shoulder, nearly sticking a finger in xir eye. "Fuck off," she muttered, not really feeling up to it. "I don't have time to play around in a relationship, and you know it. Besides, a Kid like him would be able to handle me as well as he could handle his alcohol."

"And another thing!" Arlie exclaimed, trying to slam xir glass onto the counter but only swiping it through the air with enough force to flutter Emília's bangs. "You still haven't told me what this is all about. Don't act like I'm gonna buy this whole potential story! You've never played favorites before, not even with me. What's the deal, Boss? I ain't lettin' this go until you tell me…"

"You really care that much?" Emília asked. Arlie nodded, xir neck almost collapsing halfway through. Okay, maybe it was time to call it off; at this rate Emília would have to haul both of them back home or call a taxi. "Listen, it's an executive secret. I can't really tell anyone, so you'll just have to trust me." And Emília prayed that that lame excuse worked out.

Arlie stared, having more concentrated deadpan in xem that Emília thought possible. "Does Micah know?" xe asked.

"No," Emília said, because that was the truth. She avoided Arlie's gaze and dug into her pocket, extracting her Illuminati card. "Devi, go ahead and charge me. I think we're all done here." The bartender snagged the card out of Emília's fingers, and the woman stood up, trying to get a hold under the Kid's armpits. It was easier than picking him off the ground in Britain she supposed.

"We done?" Arlie asked. Xe stood up, looking pretty balanced. At least Emília wouldn't have to worry about xem on the way home. Devi returned with her card and a rather lengthy receipt, which Emília turned down with a shake of her head. Even without alcohol in her system, the familiar shake of her beads sounded ridiculously loud.

"Yeah. We're done."

"You guys come again!" Devi called after them as the Intelligence Division headed out the door.

He felt pretty warm, and it was nice. Nothing burning, trying to push itself out. Just nice, pleasant warmth, like the time he, Bon, and Konekomaru had had a sleepover and curled up under one giant comforter. It didn't quite feel like home, but at least he was relaxed.

"Come on, now's no time to sleep."

Again, with the voices he couldn't identify. It didn't matter, though. Who was talking to him? Who cared? The words had kept shifting and blending partway through. Figuring anything out just felt like a big waste of time.

But I want to sleep, he said. I'm tired, so please just let me rest.

"Are you sure?" A hand caressed his cheek, and Renzo opened his eyes. He was back in his dorm room at True Cross Academy, sitting on his bed. The covers were a mess and the floor was covered in a mix of school work, clothes, and magazines. Izumo was in front of him. He could see down her uniform blouse. "Don't tell me you were just leading me on…"

Izumo-chan? Too late, he realized she was leaning up to kiss him, a delicate hand resting on his leg. No, wait! He backed up, scrambling across the blankets, toppling right off the edge of the bed.

He expected to hit the floor. Instead, he was sitting in the bar, and it was deserted. Devi sauntered up, exaggerating her hips with each step. She put a mug in front of Renzo, and smiled. "This one's on the house, okay?" Renzo opened his mouth to protest. "Oh, you don't want to drink it?" Devi's hands went to pull her top up, and he could tell from how her shirt clung to her body that she wasn't wearing a bra. "Then how about I let you lick it up off me instead—on the house, too, of course."

Before Renzo could shut his eyes, a pair of hands covered them. There was the familiar rattle of beads, and a body pressed against his back, the pressure of fabric. "You don't want to know?" Emília asked, her usual taunting substituted for a lulling whisper. "I thought you were that kind of guy. Don't tell me you back down when things get real."

Renzo's vision was cleared up, and Emília was on top of him. He didn't recognize the room, but that didn't matter. I wouldn't know, Renzo admitted, though he wasn't sure if she could even hear what he was saying. I just wanted to—

"It's more fun when you're with someone. Did you know that sleeping with someone's a pretty effective way to get information? You wouldn't be my first, but I think you'd enjoy me being yours." Unlike Devi, Emília went for Renzo's pants first, but he couldn't watch her. Dissatisfied with his lack of reaction, Emília scoffed, slamming her hands onto Renzo's shoulders. "Stop playing games. What do you want out of me?"

I don't—

"Sex? A relationship? Friends with benefits? A little jerk-off fantasy? Come on, answer me! Own up to your own feelings!"

I don't know! Renzo shouted. I don't know, I don't know! Just leave me alone!

"Absolutely not," Emília said, and dropped her head to the opening in his zipper.

Arthur Auguste Angel had always believed in work ethic and fulfilling duty, and acted on them like no other, even if that meant serving all-nighters filing through paperwork and reports. He fought back one of several yawns forming in his throat, and refocused his vision on the text in front of him. Despite the fact that the True Cross worked on a hierarchical system that tried to limit the amount of work any one person had by spreading it out, the influx of demons and the Illuminati's activity had increased the Paladin's workload significantly.

"You do know that after two AM your brain's functionality decreases, right?" Without knocking, Lewin Light—more commonly known to others as Lightning, Arthur included—entered the room, looking around.

Arthur continued to read while answering, "Then you should get some sleep, my friend."

Lightning chuckled. The Arc Knight insisted he didn't need to sleep like normal people, no matter how much Arthur tried to convince the man otherwise. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't still try. "You know how things are, Arthur," Lightning said. "But you're just going to run yourself into the ground at this rate." He approached Arthur's desk, which was covered in papers. Even Arthur had to admit that he would probably have to sleep before completing them, but he still had energy now. Lightning sighed. "Fine, I guess I'll help."

If it were anyone else, Arthur would have protested. As Paladin, it was his duty alone to do these things. However, he trusted Lightning, and if neither of them were going to sleep, it would be better to take the collective progress. "Thank you," Arthur said.

Lightning nodded, pulling up a side chair and snatching a pile of papers for himself. "Looks like there's a lot of trouble brewing out there. If we keep allocating staff, we're going to be run pretty thin soon. Next thing you know they're going to be making temporary exorcists out of Cram School Kids."

"Hopefully it won't come to that, but if that's what the Grigori decide, I have no objections." If guidance was given, it shouldn't be ignored, though Arthur did actually hope it didn't come to it. Children didn't have a place in something like war.

"Huh, what's this?" Arthur looked up. Usually Lightning didn't express such interest, especially not in paperwork. Following the prompting of Arthur's gaze, Lightning said, "Looks like Patiti's been in some trouble. There's been a systematic elimination of their research facilities about the counter to the Artificial Gehenna Gates. Nearly half of their facilities went down around the same time. They lost a substantial chunk of data, and several of their men are missing."

Arthur grimaced. "We asked for their assistance, so the bulk of the responsibility falls on us," he said. "Are they requesting help? If we don't offer any, we could lose an ally…"

"Yeah, they want help, but can we really afford it?" Arthur would have protested, but he knew his friend had a point. The Paladin waited to listen to Lightning in full. "We certainly can't provide security for their remaining facilities—that's just too much manpower. We might be able to spare the people for an investigation, but I think the project might have to be abandoned."

Arthur sighed, holding out a hand for the papers. Once he had secured them, he skimmed over the words, hoping for more details. "I wholly wish this not to be an option. If we can't find a solution to the Gates, Assiah will be easily overrun." Gripping the papers tighter than necessary, he turned to Lightning. "What sort of solution do you suggest?"

Lightning paused to think. Arthur let him, instead focusing on the damage reports. They were highly detailed, which accounted for the bulk of the document. He tried to find the last page, where the specifics of the Patiti's request for assistance should have been laid out.

"Well," Lightning said, "Mephisto's the one who secured the alliance in the first place. He would probably be the preferred ambassador for the situation."

Arthur gritted his teeth. Of course he is. Dismissing the thought, Arthur shook his head. This was no time for second guesses. "We don't have much of a choice now do we?"

Lightning's smile was all the answer that Arthur needed.

Depending on who you were, lust was easier or more difficult to handle than love.

She considered both to be easy to manage, and couldn't really say one was more difficult than the other. Of course, that made her the exception, and she quite liked that. She was the exception to a lot of things, but only the ones that were worth being proud of. Of course, in this state, maybe, just maybe, lust was a little bit easier to control, but only because vague affection counted as a minor form of love.

But from an observatory standpoint, that wasn't always the case for others. And she knew what sort of reaction she could cause, knew just what it meant to turn people's heads, to have them interested. And if you controlled other people's lust, it was easier to get what you wanted, whether from a sexual or information experience.

Being able to cause those reactions made her feel accomplished. Powerful, even. But in the current case she faced, the one at immediate hand…

Watching other people lose control made the idea of losing your own control much, much more appealing.

[Author's Notes]

Hello everyone, and happy holidays! Apologies for the long gap between updates. I'm working things out in the posting realm, so hopefully we don't have as much troubles in the future.

Much thanks go out to Misuto Schiffer, bloodychu, Elisaloria, monika1494, victoria cullen35, Julia Daria, and poeticlandmermaid for your favorites, follows, and reviews! Hopefully this chapter is much worth the wait.

Thanks to the characters doing whatever they want, I'm gonna go ahead and bump this story up to M for generalized sexual tension, just to be safe. You''ve received fair warning. Regardless, I like this chapter, so we'll keep going full speed ahead!

I'll be going ahead and posting another chapter around the beginning of January as part of my ten year fanfiction anniversary, so please look forward to it!

-Avi

[12.19.2018]