The Noah stared down at Star like a troublesome bug they'd caught.
"You're being so congenial because you've got a little crush on Tyki Mikk," Wisely teased.
"He's a monster. What would I want with something like him," Star grumped. She crossed her arms over her chest though barely able to lift them.
"Hey," said Tyki. "I'm standing right here."
"Oh don't pretend," Wisely said with a knowing look. "I might not be able to read you thoroughly but I can sense this much from you."
With a blank expression that hid the petulant and somewhat angry look in her eyes, Star raised her hand palm-up and flicked her thumb and middle finger at Wisely, like she was kicking a marble away from her.
Breaking glass sounded as the "third eye" in the center of Wisely's forehead cracked.
Wisely screamed and crumpled to the ground. Rolling around and howling in pain, he clutched his forehead.
"Read that, freak," Star said.
"You shattered Wisely's forehead!" Road said. "How heartless, Star! Now you went and triggered his chronic migraines again."** Then she hummed curiously, "Hm…".
"What is it, Road?" Sheril said, noting his daughter's adorable pensive expression.
"Nothing. I'm just getting a strange sense of deja vu all of a sudden…"
"Let's go everyone," said the Earl.
"What about the rest of them?" Sheril asked.
"Leave 'em with the Akuma. We've got this one."
Of course, Road protested as the Earl went through the gate.
"Aw, I didn't get to play with Allen!"
Sheril said something to Road but the voices of the Noah came and went, rising and lowering in volume, and her vision finally faded into black. Star saw nothing in that darkness and heard only her own thoughts for a long, long moment.
Sooner or later you're going to have to get up. Break out of here and get back to the mission. You know that. If you don't, Allen's world is through. But…if it disappears…I can disappear right along with it…. Hmph, she thought. How selfish…
She became conscious in a black room with no explainable source of light other than dozens of floating candles. In the psychokinetic grip of the Desires, Star hung a two feet off the floor above a stone floor, arms out. The only other thing in the room besides the candles, the Noah, and herself was a large throne chair done in purple velvet. And, standing in front of her…
The Millennium Earl. Ringmaster of the biggest, vilest three-ring shit show of evil that this universe has to offer.
"Seems the Black Order wants to keep you around, Star Johannes. That can't happen," the Earl said through those big teeth in that perpetually grinning face.
Star moaned. My body feels like its dying…if I don't eat soon…. Her stomach gurgled. At the very least every Noah in this place is going to hear about it. Star shrugged at the Earl.
"Why? It's not like I can kill you. The worst I can do is take out a couple hundred thousand Akuma and-"
The Earl gripped her by the throat, squeezing her windpipe and cutting off her voice.
"Couple hundred thousand? You don't say." His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "As if that's nothing. Don't get in my way or I'll have to be a bit quicker about finding a way to get rid of you."
Star clawed at the Earl's sleeve to no avail.
"Let…go…."
"The Order wants to increase the resonance of your Innocence with all the rest. Not only do they suspect that your special Innocence might be
The Heart, they see it as a nice and handy wide-range Akuma bug spray. And even if it's not The Heart and merely a special type, they intend to make you a permanent fixture in the Order and make use of that annoying and indestructible Innocence of yours. As I said, I can't have that."
He released her neck and Star pulled in great drags of air.
When Star was able to speak again, she raised expressionless eyes to the Earl's. Her voice matched her gaze.
"I'll tell you everything then."
"Oh really."
She nodded, looking him right in the eyes.
"Really."
"Oh do tell, Exorcist," welcomed the Earl. His curiosity was obviously piqued.
Star concentrated. She found a tiny bit of power inside of herself and moved her arms, breaking free of the hold of the Desires. Gracefully, she flipped backwards high into the fathomless darkness where there should have been a ceiling. After drifting onto the throne seat across the room, she crossed her legs and got comfortable. Leaned casually on one of the arms and laced her fingers.
Stunned, Sheril said, "What! How did she-"
The Noah moved in on her but the Earl held up a hand.
"Let her go."
"That's probably all she can manage anyway. In her condition," Wisely said.
And he was right but Star wasn't going to tell them that.
"First of all: I'm not The Heart. My Innocence is, so to speak, not a part of your world. So you cannot destroy it and you cannot destroy me. And conversely…I cannot destroy you. But I can hurt you. A LOT."
"I don't suppose you'd know anything about the Akuma inside that white bubble, would you. I'm dying to know what its all about," the Earl said with that chuckle of his.
"Its not your army, Earl. That evil legion belongs to another."
"Interesting. Then whose army is it? Because last I checked, I run the Akuma game around here."
Star put a finger to her lips.
"Bookman secrets. And that's where the gravy train stops, Earl. I got nothing else for you. Besides, I only know what the Creator shows me.
So I probably don't know much more than you do."
"Is that so? Then what good are you to me?"
The Millennium Earl could kill her if he really tried, in spite of what she'd just told the Noah. She thought of Jump and Mahoja waiting for her. Best not to provoke him. Star smiled an empty, charming smile.
"I'm good company. So let's not make this unpleasant."
The Earl chuckled again. Amused with her.
"Hm… Fine. Looks like you're a, uh, 'guest' here with the Noah Family until I do figure out what to do with you, Exorcist Star Johannes."
Author's Note:
**A reference to DGM Hallow when Allen triggers Wisely's migraines by headbutting Yu Kanda while the two of them and Road are under the influence of Wisely's power. Road's dialogue to Star is almost verbatim to what she says to Allen in Hallow.