She had searched high and low, and yet Raynare hadn't come across anything that might give away the truth about her target. It was like he was just some normal guy with a few posters of girls in clothing no better than hers.
'Fucker has me questioning my own apparel now…' It was infuriating really, how he managed to do that in a matter of seconds.
But she just knew that there was something to be found, could feel it in her bones.
'It's here, something...somewhere...maybe just a small little tidbit, but it's here.' She'd started in the bedroom, because that's where every teenager kept all their dirty little secrets.
When she found nothing there, she moved to the living room. The setup made her think that a female presence was at least somewhat frequent. It was the lighting and decorative accents. The couch was center to the TV, as expected of a man. But then there were throw pillows. One on each of the 3 cushions, the middle one being red rather than the same light brown of the couch.
In the corner by the door, there was a fake plant that stood at head level for her. There were landscape pictures on the wall, giving the room color beyond the generic off-white walls.
There was no way that Issei had done this on his own. No straight teenager had this kind of sense.
If he were gay… then maybe.
Walking by the couch, running a hand over the blanket folded and hung over the top, Raynare stopped.
'The bed is one thing, but a blanket of this quality…? No, something isn't adding up.'
Just like the bed, the blanket in the living room was crazy soft. From what she'd learned of human men, they would be more likely to just turn up the heat than to spend money on something more decorative like this.
The amount he'd have to spend on this little piece would probably be an entire months heating bill. In every room except the bedroom, there seemed to be a feminine touch.
Not blatantly obvious like a bra hanging from a chair or some pink number in the bathroom, but just enough. Someone without her sight into the habits of both men and women might not see it, instead just thinking the person wanted their place to be welcoming and warm.
But on average, a man just didn't know how to create an atmosphere like this, to say nothing of a teenager. But honestly, she could have written that off as a sister or mother if it weren't for the quality of each item.
Throwing that kind of money at things so unimportant was a supernatural habit. Devils in particular. He'd done well to hide it by getting things that weren't too flashy.
She didn't see or sense anything out of the ordinary though.
'Where is it….'
Moving towards the kitchen, Raynare let her keen eyes roam about the place. Everything seemed to be kept clean and orderly, a potential sign that Issei wasn't all that he appeared. Someone that came off as perverted and single mindedly driven as he was at school, shouldn't be this tidy at home in theory.
'No guy keeps anything hidden in the kitchen…' Raynare thought to herself, realizing that she was grasping at straws now.
But it was about the only place left that she could search, having done the bedroom, bathroom and living room already. Which had revealed nothing.
Opening the cabinets, she found spices, seasonings, boxed foods with none being expired. It was too normal, too much like your average home with little subtle additions of something higher quality. If she didn't know who lived here already, from appearance alone, she would think of a guy in his 20's with a stable girlfriend that spent the night on a semi-frequent basis.
Not a teenager. Not Issei.
"One of these things is not like the other…" She opened the fridge, really hoping to find her culprit, that thing that would jump out and give him away as being lightly affiliated with the supernatural in some way.
Milk, juice, bottled water, a left over container from dinner at some fancy place, she guessed it was fancy because the container wasn't just the typical cheap styrofoam or tin with that clear lid.
"Good morning Raynare!" The circle appeared next to her ear with no warning, or at least she didn't notice the magic being activated.
"God fucking cunt stomper!" Raynare jumped, her head striking the handle for the freezer. She stood, one hand over her rapidly beating heart from the scare, and the other rubbing the back of her head.
"I'm not sure what a cunt stomper is, but the old man never put the dipstick anywhere. Not even in Mary to make Jesus, completely ignoring my wise recommendations." The cheeky tone in his voice made it clear that Azazel found her odd string of curses amusing.
Having gotten used to his attitude over the years, plus a removal of her infatuation with the man, she was able to realize that there hadn't been any chance for Azazel to stay within God's grace and protection.
"You advised the heavenly father to have Mary cheat on her husband… I can't even say i'm surprised."
No, Azazel trying to get someone to do something that revolved around sex was pretty much a common occurence amidst the fallen.
Angry because for one reason or another? Go get laid.
Tired but you can't sleep? You probably just need to cum, then you'll sleep like a baby.
Anxious about an upcoming event? Go fuck some random person.
You get the idea. If he wasn't dishing out orders or doing anything in an official capacity, his advice always came back to sex in some way.
"Aaaaahhh, good times. The look on his face was priceless! 'How'd you get in here?!' he yelled. Haha! Though I probably shouldn't have said that I was stopping by to cop a feel on Gabriel." Shaking her head, Raynare went back to what she was doing, muttering each object absently as she did.
"Anywho~, how about you give me an update on the kid." Azazel changed the subject to his actual reason for contacting her.
"Made contact with Issei yesterday. The devils have are turning their attention to him, so I kept it low key. We'll probably go out sometime soon, and I'll be able to get some info and get a better read on him and why he might be suppressing himself to the point of being nonexistent."
Soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, bbq, baking soda. Seriously, how many condiments did a person need?
"Hmmm, that's pretty advanced for a human his age. Unless his sacred gear is the cause… but which one would do that?" Azazel was speaking to himself, with Raynare continuing her search that she was sure would yield nothing.
"A subspecies of dimension lost? No, we'd have picked up on that beforehand. Delete field maybe? Or trick vanish? We still should have noticed something before picking up a signal that strong." It was starting to sound like Azazel had forgotten he'd called her.
Getting frustrated, Raynare pulled her hand back, moving to stand and close the fridge. She'd have to admit defeat here. Her fingers glanced across the edge of the left over food, tipping it just enough so that its weight shifted and toppled from the shelf and splattering on the floor.
"Sonuvabitch." The top hadn't been closed very well it seemed, and now there was some kind of thinly sliced meat with what appeared to be purple peppers. A few seconds passed as she just stared, unable to believe that little touch had done this.
"A waste of perfectly good food…" She groaned. Her life as a fallen had taught her the value of good cuisine, and the pains of it being spoiled.
"Sorry what was that?" Azazel returned from his trailing thoughts.
Raynare blinked, whatever those peppers were, they were starting to make her nose burn and her eyes water from the smell alone. She was no stranger to spicy things, but god damn. Those had to be off the chart on that stupid Scoville thingy.
"Searching Issei's apartment. I know there's a clue here about him and the supernatural. I just tipped over some left over food in his fridge." Raynare sniffed and blinked her eyes, trying to stem the burn.
"Hopefully he wasn't looking forward to eating this." She turned the container, looking for a name of the establishment it came from. In a fancy, flowing font, she found the name.
"This place, Edesia's Garden, made some sort of unholy spicy dish." Seriously, she needed to get this cleaned up and get some fresh air. Her nose might not ever be the same after this.
"Well now that is interesting." Raynare flinched. The last time she heard him say that, she ended up with a stalker. That fucker was creepy as hell. For a human, he'd been incredibly stealthy. But that meant nothing against her superior senses. She'd been able to smell the desperation on him.
After being successfully recruited, Azazel had wiped her from his mind. The memory still bugged her though.
"I'm afraid to ask but… What is?"
The silence between the end of her question and his answer dragged on for what felt like an eternity. In that brief time, she imagined any kind of response. It could be meaningless, his words meant for something he was looking at in HQ. It could be him thinking her careless and push her further down the totem pole in the Grigori, though there wasn't much lower of a status to give.
"It seems your friend is well connected. Edesia's is a VIP supernatural only restaurant in San Francisco, which means you're probably smelling the 24 million Scoville purple reaper peppers. It took me 4 months to get a 30 minute reservation there a few years back."
No fucking way… Of all the things to link that pervy, weirdly insightful, intensely staring kid to her side of the world, it was food?!
"I doubt Issei was able to get in by himself, but that brings up the question… who does he know well enough to either get him there or bring him the food? It wasn't any of our people. The angels don't dine that extravagantly. That leaves the devils, the Shinto or possibly Greeks."
Grabbing some paper towels, Raynare managed to scoop the meal into the container while holding her breath. She'd seen some cleaning stuff in the closet that would be useful to take care of the juices on the floor.
"Aside from the devils, most other factions' keep their people in their own area of control. I doubt he's directly affiliated with them. Last I heard, the Shinto didn't have any humans outside of those attached to specific shrines. There's no shrine here, and it's devil territory. Plus, Greeks associating with a Japanese kid that doesn't have a kill count known world wide, or a weird complex for a family member? Pft, you'd have better luck trying to get them into a baptist church."
Raynare was entirely aware that Azazel had left out the Norse, who were generally more open to outsiders. There were rumors that the fallen leader kept in contact with a few Norse gods, though for what reason she didn't know. Hopefully it was something actually productive.
Although, now that she thought about it, this might explain the weird morning she had a little better.
"What if… he's not really with any of the groups?" Raynare asked carefully.
"You have a theory?"
As much as she didn't want to share what had happened, because it was embarrassing that she'd let it happen in the first place, it could be important.
"Issei passed out and fell into me yesterday, so I brought him home and accidentally fell asleep." She paused to see if Azazel would say anything. He didn't, so she continued.
"My transformation failed while I was asleep, and he saw me wings and all. Weird thing is, he didn't freak. He called me a cosplay enthusiast." She heard Azazel chuckle quietly, a tick in her brow started as she ignored him and kept going.
"He was able to pick me apart psychologically within a few minutes of having ever talked, saw my wings move and still didn't call me out on it."
"I'm waiting for the part where you explain your actual theory."
"I'm getting to it." Raynare said through grit teeth. Why was he annoying her so much right now?
"You know what happens when a person has their mind wiped of events too often." Raynare said assuredly.
It was a phenomenon that had just become fact. Something known and well documented but nobody could point to the specific cause. A humanoid mind could only be controlled so much for so long. Eventually, it would adjust and start to work around whatever was blocking or manipulating it.
Like when the body starts to become resistant to certain drugs, or you get used to certain smells and they don't bother you anymore.
"I've watched him at every available moment without getting too close to tip him or the devils off. I haven't seen anything to indicate that he knew of the supernatural or a sacred gear. The weird thing is, he gets this look in his eyes. Like he was watching for and predicting an enemy. It only happens when he's alone though."
"You're saying that whoever this connection is, they've wiped his mind enough times that it doesn't work as it's supposed to anymore?"
"If they've done that and are still coming around, it shows that this person cares for him. It could be possible that he isn't suppressing himself, but this third party did it in order to keep attention off of him. Not that it's entirely worked as planned now that the devils are shifting their eyes to him."
"Did you search his entire place yet?" The fact that Azazel didn't flat out say she was wrong, meant that he thought it could be possible. And it was high praise, suggesting something that Azazel hadn't already considered and debunked.
"I did. The fridge was literally the only place I hadn't looked. His place is too clean for a guy his age living alone. And some of this stuff looks too nice to be bought on anything he could earn. There's no report of him getting some sort of inheritance from family. No pictures anywhere I can find that have any people in them. The parents must be estranged or dead."
Raynare thought of a few other hunches she had about the kind of person this third party was. Female, and it really had to be a woman. Otherwise Raynare would just be lost on how Issei hadn't tried to touch one of the girls or ask them out. Little good that would do with his reputation.
She had to have taught Issei at least part of what he knew on interacting with women. He looked to be comfortable living alone, so his parents hadn't been in the picture for quite some time. But what is this woman? A devil? A Demi-God of some faction?
Raynare hoped it wasn't a devil, that could make things with her boyfriend awkward down the line…
'Hold up… What the fuck? Down the line? BOYFRIEND?!' She hadn't even given him her real name. Thank god Azazel wasn't a mind reader, or in the same room as her right now. He would definitely call her out on the heat she could feel in her cheeks.
'Back it up girl. This is an assignment, nothing more.'
"I'll admit that hadn't crossed my mind as a possibility. Being the one on the ground, i'll have to defer to your judgement. If that is indeed what's going on, even if he sees something unorthodox, he might not be able to fully comprehend it as such." Azazel said before releasing a long sigh.
"We might have to cut our losses on this one. Anyone dining at Edesia's is one to avoid bad blood with. Good work Raynare. Finish up within the next day or two, make sure we're not letting some time bomb slip by, and then come back to HQ. I've got something else coming that will require your… interpersonal acrobatics."
Raynare rolled her eyes at his not so subtle way of saying that she could act all sweet and kind even if her default was bitchy and arrogant. That was more of a critique on her general personality before she killed those devils, but she couldn't find it within herself to complain about his interpretation.
"The thing is, this happens to be a sort of leadership role. And I can't have someone on the outs within the Grigori take it. So, finish this job, report to me, get promoted, then you'll be on the track to a better life. Deal?"
Eyes widened to impossible size, Raynare thought she'd misheard for a second. Even still, the thought of asking how her life would be better never occurred to her.
"Are you serious?!" She could have squealed in delight, but she quick to realize one key thing that deflated her mood.
"Only those with four wings are able to move to mid-rank…" Her voice was guarded, waiting for something that hadn't even been handed to her yet to be taken away.
She was finally getting some recognition, some of the glory she had tried to viciously take herself. That's how it was supposed to be right? No one was just going to put power into your palm, physical, magical or political. You needed to take it yourself. But this was one more thing that she'd been mislead on.
The scenario in her head was operating in a stagnant world were the consequences weren't very far reaching, partially because she wasn't too adept at identifying what those consequences might be.
"Oh right, I never told you. There's a spot on your lower back that should feel warm to the touch. Poke it with a bit of light on your fingertip and POOF! Four wings, hidden thanks to the little sealing trick I learned a while back. I put it on you as a sort of insurance policy that you wouldn't get big-headed and try to pull something out of frustration for your punishment these last 4 years."
She went from confused, to feeling a little scandalized, then happy, angry, rinse and repeat. But still, Raynare did as Azazel said and felt for a spot on her back that might be warmer than the others.
There, right in the center and just above the waistline on the lateral lumbar indentations. To put it layman's terms, the tramp stamp spot. Personally, she preferred the term Venusian dimples. It sounded fancier, sexier than the medical jargon.
'Thank fucking god no one ever found about me almost getting a pair of wings tattooed. Absinthe you are one cruel, conniving bitch.'
Poking her back with the smallest amount of light, she felt a rush. A rush that went straight to her head and overrode her better judgement.
"It's been ten years, 7 months, and 4 days you fuckbag." Her tone was scathing, not caring that the man on the other end of the call could end her in over a thousand ways with barely a flick of his finger.
Azazel chuckled.
"Oh I know. Was just waiting to see how the flux of power would grab you. It seems my guess was right, you've mellowed out a bit."
-LineBreak-
Looking thoroughly disheveled, Issei made it to school only a few minutes after the bell rang. Even with using more speed than he probably should have around the general public. As he got closer to the school, Issei dialed back the speed in which his legs carried him, now just looking like a rather fit guy that was running behind.
His luck stayed true to form as the gates approached.
"...I-I found your… your…" He heard a voice, Saji's, as the hedges gave way to the path towards the entrance.
Standing close to the building and out of view from any class windows, were Sona and her new pawn.
SLAP
Issei nearly fell over himself as he realized what was probably happening, and the victorious grin came upon him before he could do anything about it.
Passing the gate, Issei took stock of the two.
Both were blushing like virgin nuns who thought the video titled 'Devil's Triangle' would be something they could use as an educational tool to help them steer clear of evil influences.
On a side note, the very thought of that had Issei feeling his blood start to boil. It was probably just the dragon side of him, but he could be incredibly possessive at times. He was not unaware of this. Luckily there was only one person at the moment that made him react this way.
If he were like other dragons… fuck, who knew what would happen.
"Why are you carrying women's undergarments?" Sona had snatched the aged panties from her pawn, glaring at him through glasses that had fallen slightly in embarrassed shock of what he presented to her.
"T-they're yours."
Slowing down to a walk, Issei hoped they would be too caught up in the moment to notice him slipping by.
"Excuse me?" Wow… Sona sounded pissed.
"I found them on your desk when I came in this morning." Oh man, Sera was going to love hearing about this. Maybe it would even get her to forget about the whole Fallen angel thing. Probably not, but he could hope.
"And you just… What did you think…. Just why?" This was something he didn't possible unless under the intense affections of her older sister. Sona Sitri, the calm, level headed, calculative Heiress. She was rendered unable to coherently communicate her distress.
"It um… It has your initials." Saji reached over to point to the inside of the band.
'Bad move dude.' Seriously, this guy wasn't picking up on her body language, actual language, or anything else. Why in the world would he make it obvious that he'd inspected said undergarment?
An open pervert he may be, but Issei didn't broadcast information that would hurt him.
Her hand moved with a quickness that wasn't human, hiding the fabric from his view as Sona turned her eyes in his direction.
Busted.
"You're late Hyoudou...Again." Her eyes narrowed on him, and Issei cursed Saji. Those pent up emotions were now going to be unleashed on him. True, he had been the one to put the panties on her desk, but she didn't know that. And he hadn't done it just because he felt like it.
His right foot paused in its descent, he'd almost made it by them before getting caught.
Issei gave the pair a smile.
"Well you see, funny thing. I kinda woke up to this random older chick in my bed, really hot. No idea how she got there though. Or I didn't know until I asked." Knowing they wouldn't believe him in the first place, Issei kept his lie as close to the truth as possible. The best ones always had a foundation of truth, or so he'd been told.
If it weren't for the fact that he needed to stay under the radar, he could have just said he woke up to a fallen angel in his bed. A really hot one. Like, really hot.
On second thought, that was probably a bad idea. It would just get Sona and Rias to go all territorial and things would get messy. It was better if he handled this alone.
"Turns out she's into me, but I was so tired yesterday that I really don't remember meeting her. Or how we got back to my place, or into my bed. And that is the real tragedy here."
Saji crossed his arms, taking the chance to delay his conversation with Sona.
"Yea right Hyoudou. Only a really damaged girl would get with you. The kind that defends anything you did, like cheating on her or getting arrested for sexual harassment."
Ouch. That one actually kind of hurt. Maybe he should clean his act up a little?
Nah, people would only get suspicious and start invading his privacy. Besides, he'd been careful about what he did, when and where he did it. Things just so happened to swing in his favor. Kuoh had really dropped the ball when they switched to co-ed. Issei had even made low-key notices of the places he and his buddies used for peeping.
Issei would never deny a chance to look at a good looking girl of reasonable age in a state of undress. But that by no means meant him touching. Consent was a must.
Faking a stumble, Issei placed his hands over his heart in implied pain.
"You wound me. Rule #1 bro, looking is free, touching requires permission."
Sona looked like she was about to challenge that statement for a brief second, before her eyes flickered to and fro, searching her memory to prove him a liar. Instead, when she couldn't think of anything off hand, she chose the more obvious grievances placed against him.
"Looking may be free, but that would imply that said young woman is in a public space."
With everything that had gone down in the last two days, Issei realized that he was in for a lot of work in the not so distant future. If the temptation were removed, he'd be able to focus better. Katase and Murayama were a deadly combo for his resolve. Katase had an ass like an olympic gymnast, and Murayama's rack was just right.
There had to be some past models in those two gene pools.
"According to the extensive student code of conduct, I haven't done anything wrong." The disbelieving looks that were leveled on him were almost funny.
"I know for a fact that no males are permitted into the girls locker room. It was one of the addendums to the rules that I personally oversaw." Sona had her arms crossed. She hid it well, but he could see a bit of the underwear clenched in her hands.
"If you're talking about last week, I wasn't there." Her eyes narrowed on him.
Saji had no choice, he had to come to his defense. It was well known that lying wasn't tolerated well by her. Matsuda could attest to that.
"He wasn't. I was standing outside the room when the other two were dragged out." If Issei was right, that was the day after he'd been reincarnated. Wanting to get a feel for the guy, Issei had stayed back and observed with the full use of Ghost Walker.
"And the peeking on girls while they change?" She seemed determined to nail somebody right now, to deliver a righteous act of deserved punishment for what she'd already determined to be her sister interfering in her life.
"I don't have a photographic memory, but I did read the rules from start to finish before my first year started. So to paraphrase, 'If there are any suggestions or concerns regarding the school, a grievance can be made in written form to be handed in to the student council who will review and pass it up to the board. The student shall not be reprimanded for any concerns brought forth.'"
"Oh what a bunch of crap! I read your suggestions. Shorter skirts and heels for the girls, that's all they ever say." Issei smirked with one brow raised.
"Really? Because I distinctly remember naming all 6 locations that happen to have a view into an area where any of our fellow young women here at Kuoh Academy might be seen changing. If you didn't read it, that's not my fault. Nor can I be blamed for continuing to notice how such spots have gone unattended."
Issei knew that he'd have to be careful now. Sona would be paying attention to him and his actions on campus. That was fine with him as he had other things that needed to be dealt with. As for off campus things, he didn't see himself needing to do anything that would require any magical means.
All he had to do for right now was keep his senses open and alert, maybe sneak around with Ghost Walker here and there. But more than likely just keeping his ear to the ground.
"I will personally review your delivered notes, but there is still the issue of your tardiness." Sona drummed her fingers along the other arm.
"Detention for today. Make sure you are in class at the appropriate time Hyoudou, or you will find yourself receiving longer sentences."
"As you command supreme leader!" He stated with a salute, and rushed off towards his class.
The day sped by with little fanfare out of the usual, mainly his friends speaking about things best left to the quiet confines of their own homes.
His teachers droned on and on about one subject or another, praising the scores of some and wishing those near the bottom of the grade scale better fortune with their studies in the future.
By the time the lunch break rolled around, Issei was keenly aware of a presence.
It didn't want to be noticed, willing itself to be nothing more than another in the crowd. No matter what they wanted, the one it belonged to still stood out. Apathetic towards almost everything, Issei could feel that this person was, in fact, taking an interest in him.
'That happened faster than I thought.' He couldn't but wonder if Rias was pushing the limits of propriety, asking her rook to shadow him during school.
If the world weren't as cruel of a place as it was, he shouldn't have been able to hide from them this long if at all. But that was reality. Koneko wouldn't be able to decipher who she was actually watching, all because she shunned an aspect of herself after what happened with her sister.
Issei would like to think her actions were just a phase of teenage rebellion, but he knew full well that she had good reason to do so. The underworld had gone on a Senjutsu purge for a while, and only those that had connections came out as untouched as possible.
That was a strange time for him to be honest, a new devil being privy to the inner workings of the leaders of the entire race. Under a year after his reincarnation, he'd been brought to the scene of the murder of a branch member of the Naberius family.
He'd been a little on edge of seeing the body, and wandered around the manse as a child was one to do. What he'd found had been a factor the leaders eventually pulling the hunt for the stray bishop.
She'd still killed her king, but they could hardly blame her after the voice recordings and the journal had been found. If any bothered to look at her status, no longer was it listed as 'Terminate', but 'wanted'.
"Issei." Motohama whispered as he and Matsuda approached the desk.
His bespectacled friend leaned close, bracing his hands on the desk.
"The holy grail, i've found it." Obviously the young man wasn't speaking literally, because Issei had no doubt all the devils in the school would have been a shivering mess if he had.
A part of him wanted to warn his friends of what had taken place earlier that morning, but then he remembered a comment they had made.
Apparently, both of his friends felt he was too easy to give up and bail from any spot they'd found, that they should have ventured to be bolder in their actions. What that translated to, he wasn't sure, only that it sounded like it ended in meeting the wrong end of some kendo equipment.
'If you guys start touching the girls, I won't be able to keep Sona from expelling you.' He wanted to say. That would do no good though. His friends would then follow a train of thought that led them through blaming him for their lack of success with the fairer sex, to being involved in them getting caught. He wouldn't be surprised if they assumed him to be some sort of masochist, that he enjoyed the rough and scolding treatment.
Issei caught the glancing looks from the other students, mostly girls since Kuoh was heavily female and thus the reason why his two friends were here in the first place, they were watching warily. They knew that the trio was up to no good, or at least discussing things that they would have to be on the lookout for.
The sparse males in the class shook their heads, not liking that these 'three' were getting the girls in the school to constantly have their guard up. It made getting a date much harder when the girl was waiting for something that could be mistaken for some untoward action.
"Sorry guys, can't go along today. I was late and the president is gonna be all up my ass for a bit."
Neither Matsuda or Motohama looked deterred, instead they both smirked as though he wouldn't be able to stay away from the feast that they would partake in.
"Oh, is that so? Well, more for us then. Guess we'll just have to split the crack into the girls showers."
"Always thought she had a rod up hers, never thought she was in to sticking up someone else's."
For just a moment, that gave Issei pause. The showers? His friends had found a direct line of sight to seeing the girls in all their glory, washing away the sweat of the efforts that had toned and shaped those supple bodies? He ignored the comment about Sona, mostly for fear that Sera's weird sixth sense would kick in and she'd descend upon him like the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
[Your Feline follower would make that a poor decision.] Ddraig decided that his two cents should be added.
'Yea but…. C'mon Ddraig!'
[No. Your flights of fantasy are bad enough at home, falling prey to them in this institution of hormones and lies is an order of magnitude worse at the moment.]
Killjoy.
Issei held back the depressed sigh he wanted to make right then.
The silver lining was that he hadn't known of this spot before, which meant that Sona likely had no clue the spot was there, and he'd be able to enjoy it at least once before it got sealed.
Matsuda looked like he was about to speak before Issei raised his hand to pause him.
"Not another word. Don't let me be the reason it gets sealed on the first go around."
But they would be telling him it's location later. He would make it so.
[I had foolishly hoped that losing your virginity would at least lessen your...tendencies.] Ddraig sighed. The red dragon liked to say that he'd just give up on getting Issei to change, but each and every time without fail, Ddraig still tried to steer the lad.
'Hey! If the day ever comes when Sera and I can be together and actually have any sort of sex life, then maybe my drive to see the perfection that is the female body will ease up. Until then, this is what you have to deal with.'
Unfortunately, Issei wasn't about to hold his breath. As stressed as the head of foreign affairs was, she enjoyed her job. And the lack of any mention of wanting things to ever be more than.. whatever the hell they had, it didn't seem to be getting that sort of happy ending.
Which sucked, because Issei would move sun and stars to make her happy. All he needed was the chance. If there were a few words in his favor, then maybe things would change, but that wasn't likely.
As much as he respected her, Grayfia hated his guts for… reasons, some of which were reasonable and others that were just plain stupid in his opinion. That meant no support from Sirzechs, which would have been all that he really needed. The crimson satan had a silver tongue.
"You're a true friend Issei, looking out for us like this." Motohama pushed a finger underneath his oversized glasses to wipe at the moisture in his eye.
Issei shrugged with a smile. "What are friends for if not to help you see some T&A?"
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She had to wonder if this was a good idea after all. Serafall was checking herself over one more time, making sure her appearance was perfect and would catch Issei by surprise.
The glamour had been tailored to make her look like a woman that he'd had a difficult time tearing his eyes from. Not that she blamed him.
Her hair was loose, and changed to a deep blue, she wore business attire with a skirt and jacket of a dark grey. Her height had been altered and her bust only slightly changed to match the stature.
Her eyes though, those couldn't be changed, but it did give a good contrast with her hair and clothing.
'This is the moment Issei, the moment where we stop this tiptoeing around. I love you, and I know you love me. That's all that matters.'
In her hand was a box made of a nice dark hardwood with a velvet interior, it held what should have been given to him long ago. 15 chess pieces that pulsed with demonic power. Atop that was a rolled up piece of finely made paper with a seal of the leviathan.
Issei would be getting the land he earned.
It was agreed that she never teleported into his apartment, just in case there was a human inside. She had yet to come over urging one of those times, but agreed to the safety measure.
Her transport circle of cerulean shined to life beneath her, spinning quickly as her excitement rose. How could she not be happy right now? He'd been snubbed by the devil kings for too long, and she had finally corrected the mistake.
True, he hadn't gotten his rank from the traditional means, but he was no less worthy than Tannin or Diehauser or Roygun.
With a flash of blue, she was taken to the building, in a room that had been closed off and paid for to keep her anonymity. It wouldn't do for Sona or Rias to know she was coming here.
As she walked out of the room and towards the stairs, her mind drifted to the things that would have to be worked out between them.
'We'll need to revisit the harem idea… I don't believe for a moment that Issei would be so easily controlled, but it's definitely a point to bring up.'
She had no problem with him sleeping with other girls, it was a part of devil culture that she'd long gotten used to. A part of her was dreading the day that finally happened, that his attention would be pulled elsewhere. But Serafall was not blind to the fact that she couldn't spend as much time with him as she'd like.
'He's a dragon, with a dragons appetite. I'm a limping mess the day after we have sex anyway, some help might be a good thing.' Her thoughts only helped so much.
She pulled a key to his door from a pocket, sliding it into the lock and twisting. The click of the door almost sounded foreboding and echoed off the empty hall.
The knob turned easily, and the door gave way to the hall that split to go to the kitchen, living room or bedroom.
Taking one step in, she felt a small shiver. The feeling was familiar, though not pleasant. It was the shiver that came from feeling one that wielded something horribly effective against a devil. Light.
Then she could smell it, the pheromones of a woman built for seduction. A fallen.
Thinking quickly, Sera surveyed what she could. Seeing that all appeared to be intact, it was clear that this fallen hadn't fought him inside. If that had happened, Issei would have contacted her.
What was a fallen doing here in the first place? As far as she or any of the others knew, they stayed out of devil territory. Azazel had made himself known for his checking into sacred gear users, so there was a chance that Issei was suspected to have one. But to come here? They had to suspect something big to justify the risk. Or maybe Azazel trusted his subordinate that much.
Sirzechs had mentioned Rias briefly saying something to that affect not too long ago.
"I know you're here." She called out, hoping whoever it was kept a level head.
The evil pieces and land deed vanished in a flourish of blue light, she'd give them over later.
Her steps were slow into the home of her queen, eyes scanning every detail for something out of place. She found none.
"You the one that brought him Edesia's?" A female voice, sultry and smooth, called back.
Sera blinked in surprise, of all the responses, that hadn't been an expected one.
"Yes, but I wouldn't recommend eating it. Issei has a crazy strong tolerance for spicy food that would knock just about anyone else on their ass." Though it wasn't really a surprise that someone capable of breathing fire would be that way.
"This gonna be one of those thing where we talk nice until we make eye contact and then fight?"
Sera stepped passed the kitchen, seeing nothing out of place there.
"I'd really prefer not to mess up his apartment." She kept moving forward, the voice sounding like it was in the living room.
"So no fighting then, i'm down with that." There was a note in the voice that made Sera relax the slightest bit, something honest and true. Her guard wouldn't be completely lowered, that would just be dumb to do. But she would definitely take the chance of having a conversation with this fallen.
Issei hadn't been told, just like any of the satans peerage except Grayfia, that they'd been working towards peace with the fallen and angels. It was still in the early stages, but progress was being made. That made this woman's appearance all the more strange.
Sera rounded the corner into the living room, flat ceiling giving way to the vaulted ones with large windows, and could see the head of long dark hair seated on the couch with the tv volume low and on some sort of home improvement show.
The fallen looked up from where she had been painting her nails, one hand and one foot already done. An odd order to do them but whatever. The face that Sera saw was flawless, symmetrical, and those violet eyes were clear and piercing.
"Don't mind me, just sprucin' up to ask Issei out." Sera wondered if that was meant to rile her up. Walking around the couch, Sera could see the full image of the woman that was clearly altered through magic.
It took centuries to be able to sense things like that, an almost imperceptible shimmer around the person's body. Still though, she was stunning. Long black hair, violet eyes, full breasts, narrow waist and flared hips attached to long smooth legs.
In a perfect world, Sera wouldn't mind seeing this woman sandwiched between her and Issei. There was just that whole… mortal enemy bit, to contend with.
"I would have suggested something close to your eyes rather than blue." It did look nice though, the polish was a shade lighter than her own eyes. Something to consider for a later date.
"Bet he would too, after what he said to me this morning. But... it's all I have at the moment."
The fallen paused, looking Sera over for several beats.
"A devil huh? Makes sense I guess, given where we are. Can't say i'm not disappointed though." That one was definitely made to spark a reaction, or at least to judge one.
Sera sat down in the love seat, her hand gliding over the soft edge of the fabric as she recalled the time her and Issei had gotten close to having sex right here.
"Born and raised. So you and Issei?" She was quick to change the subject, not wanting to get into any territory that might illicite a negative response.
Her unlikely companion took it in stride, going back to paint her toes.
"Sort of. I met him yesterday on the bridge and asked him out, but he was so out of it that I doubt he remembers." The cause for that was easy to determine, and Sera had to hold back the urge to wince.
She'd put Issei in a position to be taken advantage of. Possibly killed.
"I brought him back here. When we woke up, there wasn't much time before he bolted out to head to school. Didn't even ask for my name. Which is Raynare by the way."
Sera found it odd that this fallen was giving so much away, not that she disliked that. The honesty put her at ease.
"I'm Sera. Issei and I have been friends for a long time. Human or otherwise, it's nice to see someone else take an interest in him." That was the honest truth. No one seemed willing to see the heart of gold beneath the sexually driven exterior, the lonely man with so much love to give and no one to give it to.
Raynare paused in her strokes, looking quizzically up to Sera's blue eyes.
"You're taking all of this really well." Her pointed words were not lost to Sera.
Certainly, almost any other devil would have raged and been throwing attacks around by now, ruining the apartment. Serafall was not one of these devils. Aside from her desire to see Issei get the love and respect he deserved, she could tell when someone had hostile intentions. This woman didn't appear to be a threat.
"Because i'm a devil and you're a fallen?" Her question was asked with a tilt to the head.
Raynare nodded.
"You don't plan on hurting him do you?" Her answer was a shake in the negative.
"Then I see no problem. Our people would see this as a grave issue, but the journey for love doesn't abide by our rigid standards." The memory of Cleria Belial and her exorcist lover came to mind. She and Issei had been gone for an assignment and training weekend when that occurred. It would have happened differently under her watch.
"I'm not sure i'd mention the word love anywhere in there, but he certainly has a way of working his way into a girls head." Sera had to withhold the smile.
'That's how it starts. He'll say something that catches you off guard, gets your attention. Then he treats you like you were made of glass. A princess. It'll be too late then. You're ensnared, trapped in his grasp forever, not that you'll ever want to escape.'
"It's obvious that you already have first dibs, but I don't have to worry about him losing control of whatever it is he's got and killing a bunch of people right?" It took a moment for Sera to realize that Raynare was talking about a sacred gear. She shook her head.
"Issei is no danger to anyone." That was a white lie, he could kill thousands in an instant if he wanted. But there was no way Ddraig would let Issei do that even in the worst of circumstances.
"Then I'll be out of your hair in a few days time. Just need to get the right answers for my report before I leave."
'Somehow I doubt that little bird. You might leave, but that doesn't mean you won't be back.'
"So long as you're good to him while you're around, be as honest as you can be without getting into trouble, how long you stay isn't a factor."
Raynare chuckled quietly, her purple eyes carrying a strange lightness.
"Kind of a roundabout way for the guys sugar mama to say she doesn't mind if I fuck him, don't you think?"
Sera's smile was decidedly less pleasant, more of a guilty sort.
"I'm sure you understand how some of my friends would take to learning of him and I being together, so I can't be with him as much as i'd like. If Issei is happy, if we still get to spend those moments I actually am free, he can fuck whoever he pleases."
Raynare's eyes widened slightly, a piece of the puzzle that was Issei Hyoudou sliding into place. There were still many missing, but something in what Sera had said made a moment from that morning make a little sense.
"Wow, he's got it bad for you doesn't he?" Sera tilted her head, confused. She wouldn't say no, but she didn't understand where that had come from.
"Y'know what… nevermind." Raynare shook her head. It was probably better if she didn't go down that rabbit hole. Pure-blood devils were weird about the whole maintaining the blood lines thing, and how they would look in the eyes of their peers for screwing around with a human. The Fallen were much better in that regard.
You got black feathered wings on your back? You're a fallen, half or quarter didn't matter. The only time it even slightly mattered was if they had a sacred gear, but it wasn't as though they were looked down on. That kid that Azazel adopted way back when had a bad case of self loathing covered up by his haughty and blood thirsty arrogance, all because of the shit he apparently went through for being half human.
"Recruitment was taken off the table the moment I saw the food from Edesia's. Which I accidentally knocked out of the fridge, sorry about that. As much as I would like to take your word for it and move on, I have to confirm for myself that he's safe to leave alone. Can't have the head honcho questioning my judgement and all that."
Raynare blew on her freshly painted toes, and Sera took the moments of silence to think.
She should be upset that Issei had come into contact with a fallen and hadn't told her immediately. She should be upset that it was her own fault that it had happened.
Aside from that, she was actually quite proud of him. Issei had a fallen in his home, in close proximity to him and didn't give his devil status away. He'd kept his cool and hadn't apparently risen any red flags from the woman.
Normally, she might have felt that familiar heat of protectiveness fall over her, coloring her vision red. But this was a situation that had more than met the eye.
This achievement of his was an opportunity, both for Issei to gain some recognition, and to further the peace between the three factions. She could use this to give Issei the freedom she'd wanted him to have. It would be a long and drawn out process, with bumps and unforeseen curves and twists in the road, but it could be done.
All that needed to happen was for this fallen angel to come to love her queen, and Issei was oh so good at that when the woman gave him the chance. A love story at just the right time would be just what they needed, Raynare had mentioned something that made Sera think it wouldn't take much.
But should she have Raynare keep silent about meeting her in his apartment? He was already likely to be apologizing profusely.
"Yes, recruiting him would… not be advised. If you could, would you not mention our meeting? I had wanted to surprise him." She kept her tone genial, vague and full of implied things that had Raynare raising a brow with a smirk.
"Some spontaneous afternoon delight eh? I have to say i'm surprised he ain't a virgin, what with his rep at the school. Makes me all the more curious about what's hiding underneath that pervy exterior."
Sera turned to leave, assured that she wouldn't be attacked.
"Gold. Pure, brilliant, passionate gold."
She hadn't truly thought that her schedule would clear until tomorrow, so it was only with a small tinge of regret that she was leaving without coming to fulfill the promise she'd made him.