Rogue Huntsman
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Arex woke up to a pale glow engulfing the room, burning in from the window as a wave of heat passed over the school and its courtyards. Her sensory for heat signatures, as sensitive as it already is, flared beyond recognition for her.
Her senses spiked, but as quickly as they rose, the light and heat died out. The room fell back into dim darkness, fading away from the bleary white she witnessed mere moments ago.
It was enough to wake her up.
Yellow irises opened, confusion nestled away within their reflective gleams, but a slightly surprised, yet tired, gaze soon matched it when she looked around. Her body…wasn't aching.
In fact, it didn't feel like it was bruised in several wide areas at all. She couldn't feel a single bruise, not even the smallest area of soreness, pain, tension, it was the same feeling she gets whenever Anoel works the tension out of her wings.
Only, this spanned across her entire body. Her…completely healthy, non-injured body.
"Relax, we had someone come in and heal you."
Her sister's voice brought her out of her daze, hands pushing into the mattress beneath her to pushed herself into a sitting position.
"Someone…did?" Arex asked meekly, her mind rushing to who would've been available to do that, or who was capable of healing someone so thoroughly.
It was drastically effective, and at the moment…she couldn't feel anything off. Nothing at all.
Looking back, she saw Anoel still leaning against the backrest of her bed. Her hat was tipped up, pushed slightly above her forehead and just resting there. Her gaze was on Arex, a relieved one, but that emotion slowly began to pass as Arex looked around.
More specifically, she checked the time, her body beneath the covers just to double-check, and who else was in the room.
Yellow eyes quickly turned bright orange when they connected with a pair of golden-orange irises close by. They, along with the white fox ears atop the other girl's head, perked up as soon as Arex looked her way.
Those very same shining irises soon flicked to Arex's back, where she felt a cool, stretched, relaxed feeling in her…free…wings…
"K-Kitsuki?" Arex asked hesitantly, slowly following the kitsune's gaze, only confirming the fact that, what should've been kept from her, was suddenly on show for the whole room to see.
Kitsuki brought her bright eyes back to Arex's as she crossed her arms, one fox ear flicking momentarily as her tails flicked back and forth.
She was giving Arex an almost… expectant look, with a slight furrow of her cute brows and a stern, adorable gaze.
"Oh, right…" Arex sighed, shaking out an apprehensive breath as she lightly reached around and gently pulled one of her draped wings into her grasp, "About this…"
From beneath the crumpled blankets, she pulled a thin, sleek, elegant expanse of beautifully black feathers. Slowly, carefully, she brought her appendage around and furled up its tip slightly, wrapping it around her front before resting most of it in her lap.
"I try to keep them wrapped around my torso whenever I can, but I guess I couldn't keep them hidden from you forever…could I…?" Arex asked, furling and unfurling her wings as she ran her fingers across the sensitive feathers in her hands.
Kitsuki shook her head, lightly tossing her long hair around before giving another flick of the ear, her eyes tracing the wing Arex was showing to her.
"It would've only been a matter of time," Anoel said, giving Arex's other wing a soft graze of her fingers. The gentle touch shot a shiver up Arex's spine, but the avian faunus tried to stifle her reaction as best she could.
With Kitsuki's eyes so closely watching her, it would've taken someone who was blind not to catch it immediately.
"Are they sensitive?" Kitsuki asked, watching as Anoel felt around Arex's right wing, the appendage twitching mildly beneath each touch.
The girl visibly doing the same, to some extent.
"Y-yes, when out of c-combat," Arex tried to furl up her wing, attempting to pull it from her sister's reach. But the info-broker stopped its retreat with ease, stretching it back out beneath the covers as she kept playing with Arex's soft feathers.
"And in combat?" Kitsuki continued, inching a little closer to Arex as the kitsune placed her hands against the mattress, curious…and clearly intrigued.
"T-they tense up," Arex shakily said, closing her eyes as her wing was getting cared to. Anoel had a reoccurring and embarrassing habit of massaging Arex's wings, something the younger girl was both fond of… and incredibly ashamed of.
It was too embarrassing not to be, considering what blissful and heated vulnerable state it lulls her into each time.
"You know, if you close your eyes like that, you can't exactly talk to Kitsuki, now can you," Anoel commented with a cheeky grin, poking a little fun at Arex for now.
Now that she was awake, any danger was gone, along with her worries.
Arex's eyes snapped back open as her cheeks flushed, turning back to Kitsuki's face just to see the passing traces of amusement rushing across it.
She was enjoying this…wasn't she…?
Kitsuki soon donned a sweet smile as she leaned forward in interest, her head tilting ever so slightly, "How tense do they get?"
She was leading this to something Arex didn't like, especially since she so half-heartedly asked this lead-up question. She knew what would follow it.
"A-armor, basically," Arex replied, incapable of actually escaping the girl's inquiries anyway as she continued in baited embarrassment, "Lightweight, t-thin, versatile a-armor. They're d-durable against almost all manners of attack… m-my body isn't, unfortunately."
"That much has been proven today," Anoel supplied, gently searching for Arex's more sensitive areas while keeping the wing from curling in on itself, "So, try not to be so reckless next time."
It wasn't like Arex wasn't trying…
The girl on display nodded her head anyway, heeding her sister's words as she looked back to Kitsuki. The kitsune had another question, it seemed, since she was eager to start signing it out as soon as she had Arex's attention again.
"How sensitive do they get?"
And that was what Arex was trying to avoid.
"T-they're n-not that sensitive, r-really," Arex responded, visibly shuddering after Anoel found one of the places she was looking for.
"Really now? It's not nice to lie, Arex," Anoel instigated amusingly, attending to the one specific area of feathers as she massaged the wing beneath her fingertips.
Arex let out a hot breath, shaking it out of her lungs with an equally shaky shudder as her cheeks flared red, "I-I'm not-"
Anoel added a little heat to her caress, changing Arex's response into a stifled gasp as the girl bit down on her lower lip.
"Is that so?" Anoel asked, her voice reaching a new level of unadulterated amusement as she continued her ministrations, "I guess I can start working a little more thoroughly, then, if they aren't that sensitive."
Arex's eyes went wide as more heat was applied, followed quickly by several more octaves of pressure and countless waves of soothing shivers and blissful rapture rushing through her body.
The girl's legs were growing restless, moving beneath the covers as Arex clutched her other wing to her chest.
"T-they're really sensitive, alright!" she cried out, stifling what would've been a more sensual gasp with a bite of her lip.
Burning orange eyes snapped closed as Arex's cheeks dipped further into the red, Anoel slowing her actions back down as soon as she got her desired answer.
"There, see? Honesty is a good trait to have, so keep that in mind," the info-broker said, a happy, devious smile gracing her lips as her irises shined gold.
Before Arex could close her eyes any tighter, she felt a small tug on her left arm. In slow reluctance, she cracked her eyes open to glance to her side, catching Kitsuki's apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, it was just too amusing not to play along," she signed out, scooting a little closer, startling the avian faunus for a moment before Kitsuki continued, "May I…?"
She gently reached for the wing in Arex's grasp, stopping just short of it to wait for the permission of the girl it belonged to.
Arex silently stared at Kitsuki's delicate hands, gently hovering near the expanse of her wing… She's only ever felt Anoel feel her feathers before, never anyone…else. She's always been careful about that.
"I'll be gentle, even moreso than I am with my own tails, and in exchange," Kitsuki began to sign again, catching Arex's eyes for a moment before they caught the subtle movements of something white.
Her eyes widened as she watched Kitsuki reach her bundle of three tails around, bringing them past her side as she readjusted her sitting position. She faced Arex now as she sat back down, letting Arex's eyes watch her carefully as she let her tails rest themselves on Arex's lap.
"I'll let you return the favor," the kitsune finished, offering something of equal value to the girl before her.
Arex didn't know what to say, let alone what to do. She was at a standstill with her emotions. Ever since she saw them, she'd always wanted to touch them…but she knew how much trust needed to be built up first before such an interaction would ever take place.
And on top of that, she knew how rude it was to ask a faunus if they'd allow someone to touch their faunus appendages.
She knew firsthand how degrading it usual feels to be asked something like that.
But to be offered the pleasantry? It was a huge deal for any faunus to do.
"I'd-" Arex began to say, slowly turning her head away, "I'd never ask that of you. I know how personal we can be with them, so you don't have to do this…"
She felt that soft tug on her arm again and she wordlessly looked back, finding Kitsuki giving her an honest, albeit slightly embarrassed, nod.
"I want to, if it's alright with you as well," Kitsuki signed, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as her fox ears stood tall, waiting for an answer.
Arex wasn't used to this kind of behavior…from anyone, really. Her eyes turned to her sister, but the slightly older girl only shook her head with a smile.
"It's your decision, Arex," she then brushed her fingers down the expanse of Arex's flat wing, "Besides, I'm allowed to do this because we're sisters."
The action shot another shiver up Arex's wing, but she shakily glanced back to Kitsuki and regarded her out of the side of her vision, dipping her chin now.
Slowly, the wing in her grasp began to move, unfurling itself from her fingers as its eight feet of sleek, black feathers rolled flatly out across the covers in front of Kitsuki. The tip of it dangled off the side of the bed, but the action made Arex's decision clear.
"J-just…be as gentle as you would…with your tails." Arex spoke quietly, fingers clutching at the blanket now as she took in a few breaths.
She knew she had to be in return. Arex would never be anything but gentle…with an offer like this.
I stopped in the hallway, dipping my hat ever so slightly as I sensed something several floors above me. I just entered the dormitory building, the stairs merely five feet away, but even I realized something as soon as I sensed it.
I'm the kind of guy to disregard anything. Hell, I mean that literally.
Put me in a war zone and I'll take it like an evening stroll. Throw me into a strip club and I'll walk out after finishing whatever mission you sent me on.
But this?
Fuck that.
I'm out.
I turned around and left the way I came. Arex was awake, no wounds sensed, that was the end of it. I was not walking into that.
The doors slammed shut behind me as I found something else to do.
Several minutes have passed now. Arex wasn't sure, really. She had no idea how much time had passed since they started, she just knew she was very close to the edge of heaven. Both of her wings were happily getting attended to.
They've been like that for over half-an-hour now, just doing that.
Kitsuki was, surprisingly, which she admitted to after a little while, obsessed with soft things. She adored anything soft or fluffy to the touch, which was part of the reason why she wanted to feel Arex's feathers.
She very quickly got carried away, though. Arex didn't mind that.
In return, she realized she was touching the softest material she's ever come into contact with in her entire life.
Nothing was softer than those tails… Nothing…
Arex got carried away too, to her embarrassment.
Something so soft should've been illegal, considering its mesmerizing properties and meditative effects upon physical contact.
However, Arex's temporary heaven of bliss stopped just short of a miracle as a knock sounded from the door.
"Hmm, I recognize that heat signature," Anoel commented, sliding herself from the bed as Arex quickly pulled at the blanket in front of her.
As soon as Anoel got up, she quickly slipped her wing back into the slit of her sweater and soon, as soon as Kitsuki reluctantly let go of her other one, did the same with that one and its designated slit.
Both wings wrapped tightly around her lithe body in a familiar embrace, layering together so thinly it was as if they were never there to begin with.
The two girls on the bed turned to the door as Anoel opened it, letting it swing to the doorstop as the info-broker tipped her hat to the one in the hallway.
"Oh, this is quite the surprise," Anoel said, "After what happened in the hallway, I'm a little confused why you're still keen to say hi, especially with what happened to your leader."
"O-Oh… Such a thing shouldn't be thought of too much. I admit, I was a bit surprised...and, well, irritated that someone had attacked him… But it was minor at best. So there's no cause for concern. All is well."
"I'm sure Niro had his reasons, he's usually quite calm," Anoel replied with a smile, stepping aside and gesturing into the room, "I guess it's fairly obvious, but would you two like to come inside?"
"Oh, yes. After all, the purpose of this visit is to introduce ourselves to you all."
"And say hello," another voice added.
Arex finally caught a glimpse of who her sister was talking to. She was another fox-yōkai, like Kitsuki, only her white hair was shoulder length instead of reaching her lower back. Arex noticed the girl had crimson eyes, contrasting with the white fur of her ears and singular tail.
The new kitsune wore a sleeveless, black collared, white shirt. Its zipper was only closed up to the center of her chest, showing off what looked like a form fitting, skin tight black compression shirt beneath it.
Tight black, elbow-reaching sleeves were slipped over her arms. Their material was the same as whatever undershirt the girl wore, and they were easily as skin tight as well.
All of that fit comfortably beneath detached, wide sleeves she also slipped over her arms and adjusted to firmly stay in place. The looser, outer layer was white, compared to the black clothing beneath, with black trim.
Arex already knew this team loved that color scheme, but she guessed it was justified… considering the contrast brought out the figure of the one wearing it all.
A black sash was tightly wrapped around the kitsune's waist, its ends dangling freely from her right side. Beneath all of that was a black, pleated skirt, reaching the center of her thighs. Wavy white patterns spanned across the black fabric, meeting with white trim along the skirt's ends.
White, thigh-high stockings adorned her beautifully lithe legs, black bands connecting its ends to a few inches below the hem of her skirt. And as Arex's eyes wandered further down, she noticed white shoes, laced together in black laces and complimented with black soles.
She didn't want to, but she found it difficult to look away, especially as Anoel led the girl and the guy next to her inside before closing the door behind them. The guy, she recognized. He was a hard person to forget…
Especially since Niro had an incredibly violent interaction with him just yesterday.
"I'll be the first to say it," Anoel said, slipping around the two new arrivals as she made her way over to the desk between the sets of beds, leaning against it, "I'm sorry for what Niro did. It was… admittedly out of character for him, but I can see a few reasons why he'd go so far to test you."
"It's no problem really," he replied with a smile, waving his hand a bit, "I was a little surprised when it happened. In all honesty, I still don't know what I did to upset him. I didn't even say much and was trying to be nice and all."
"I don't think it had anything to do with what you said, to be honest," Anoel replied, "If I were to guess, it was probably something that wasn't as shallow as that minor interaction. I've known Niro for the better part of both our lives, I know his tendencies as much as he does."
"Oh… Well, maybe you could tell me what then so it doesn't happen again? Maybe?"
Anoel shrugged her shoulders, "I can't say for sure, not unless you want to ask him yourself."
"I have a feeling he'd try again if I did… But anyway, no need to apologize. Bygones be bygones and all."
"I'd still be cautious, especially since you basically stood up to his challenge, which only made matters worse," Anoel responded, taking a glance to Kitsuki and Arex on their connected beds, "Oh, and before we get too far with anything. Arex, Kitsuki, meet Inuba Kitsukami and Dante."
The fact that Anoel didn't bring up Dante's last name felt a little unnerving for Arex, considering titles were basically second nature to the info-broker. They were on the long list of things she finds out in the first few seconds of interaction.
"Good morning everyone." Inuba gave the two a polite bow.
"Hello," Dante greeted as well.
Dante suddenly let out a dramatic gasp as soon as Arex watched his eyes fall on Kitsuki beside her. The small girl flinched slightly, tails immediately swirling around her waist as she stared in confusion.
"It's… nice to meet you," Arex replied, glancing between Dante and Kitsuki for a few moments as she noticed her partner begin to shrink away from the attention.
"Ah, sorry," he began as he cleared his throat and stood up straight, "You don't see many Kitsune around. Especially one as adorable as her."
Kitsuki's cheeks were starting to flush red now, her face disappearing behind white fur as Arex watched the girl hide behind her fluffy tails.
"I completely agree, though, this one's rather shy," Anoel stepped in, drawing Arex's gaze back to her sister as the older girl gave a small, dismissive wave, "I could say the same thing about your own partner, but since we both have a kitsune… I feel it's rather unnecessary to state the obvious."
Cute is an understatement… Arex controlled her mind as best she could, but she was surprised she was even engaged in any comprehensive conversation right now at all. Thoughts, let alone words, were difficult at the moment.
Both of them, Kitsuki and Inuba, were beyond descriptive words.
"True enough…" he said as Inuba's ears folded against her head, "but sorry. I'm a little bit biased towards my partner." He finished speaking to Kitsuki in an apologetic manner.
Arex noticed Inuba's ears perk up again as soon as Dante stopped speaking, her tail flicking back and forth now behind her.
"As am I for mine," Arex responded in place of Kitsuki, giving the girl's head a soft pat, "You don't need to apologize for something like that." The pat caused Kitsuki's ears to bounce for a moment, along with a momentary, hidden, lull of her tongue.
"And here I thought only Niro and Dante would be at odds with each other," Anoel sighed, brushing the tip of her hat with her fingers before glancing back to the duo before her, "I know that smell isn't your perfume, so what'd you bring with you?"
"We bring gifts to satisfy your possibly hungry stomachs! Inuba made them this time since she's better at cooking than I am."
"C-Come now… It's nothing all too special…" Inuba muttered, her tail noticeably speeding up its movements.
"Baked goods?" Arex asked, taking her hand from a quickly disheartened Kitsuki's head as she turned her attention back to Inuba and Dante, "How good are they?"
"How…" Dante paused a moment, "How good are they…? They...are the very best in the entire world!"
His dramatics were emphasized as he pointed to the ceiling.
"Well, I'm always interested in trying good food," Arex replied, ignoring Dante's seemingly blatant attempts to send every compliment possible his partner's way, "As for my partner…"
Arex leaned forward and glanced behind the fur of Kitsuki's tails, catching a tiny nod from her partner behind them a moment later.
"She's interested too."
They didn't all notice, but Dante had looked to Kitsuki for a moment, his sclera changing to black and his bright sky blue irises a glowing white for only a second or two before they transitioned back to his normal eyes. He then touched his own throat and grimaced slightly, his glance turning sorrowful for a moment.
The actions didn't go unnoticed by either sister, but Arex quickly guessed what he just found out. Kitsuki was still hidden behind her tails, so she had no idea. But the other two on the team had known for a while now… they just didn't know what tipped him off about it.
Kitsuki was playing the shy card perfectly.
"Um…" Dante started, trying to get Kitsuki's attention.
The girl in question slowly lowered the tips of her fox tails, glancing over the expanse of fur in her grasp toward the source of the voice directed toward her.
He then unexpectedly signed out, "Do you like baked goods?"
Kitsuki was startled slightly, but she watched his hands flash through the symbols with fluid ease. She didn't know what to think about that, let alone how quickly he found out about her lack of voice, but she slowly slipped her own fingers from the confines of her fur and responded.
"It usually depends on what it is."
"Well, what's your favorite then? We baked a lot of different things, so we might have it."
Kitsuki was still taken aback, but she continued anyway, "I'm afraid that's impossible. Someone… used to make it for me. It was a family recipe."
"Well, if you remember what was in it, much less remember the taste and such, we could try to make it for you someday if you'd like," he offered kindly, something she wasn't expecting.
"That's kind of you, but," she wanted to leave it as just that.
A memory.
"I'd be fine with something else," Kitsuki continued.
Again he flashed a quick sorrowful glance, but immediately smiled after.
"That's alright then. We hope you like the goods we made instead."
Inuba brought around a basket she'd been holding at her side, the sheer size of it causing Arex to question why she didn't immediately notice it earlier. Though, as soon as she questioned herself about that, she realized she was busy staring at other things.
The basket was rather large, filled to the brim with wrapped goods and individually wrapped slices of varying cakes. When they said they brought a variety of goods…
They weren't kidding.
Were they always this prepared?
"I have to ask, what kind of icing did you use for your carrot cake?" Arex asked, spotting one of several cakes in the mix.
"Cream cheese," Inuba responded, picking out the cake in question.
"Good," Arex hummed, giving a small nod, "that's always the best choice anyway. In my opinion."
Anoel leaned over for a moment, searching through the variety of goods before spotting something she found herself suddenly craving. She reached in and pulled out a small peanut butter trifle parfait cup, paired with its own plastic spoon and wrapping.
"You know, you didn't have to go through all this effort just to introduce yourselves," she pointed out, carefully unwrapping her serving and poking around with her spoon.
She'd peg them for ulterior motives, but at this point, their reasoning could be anything. Even something as innocent as a better first impression.
"We just kinda wanted to make a good first impression is all. That, and...well...hopefully you wouldn't get the wrong idea of us by some chance. But also as a sort of apology just in case. Speaking of which… He isn't here… Of course…" Dante responded.
"I think it's probably better that way, for the time being," Arex commented, crawling her way across the beds to accept the plate of carrot cake Inuba handed her.
Inuba then brought the basket closer to Kitsuki and set it down in front of the girl, letting her decide on what she'd choose to pull out.
After a few moments, Kitsuki finally set her tails aside and glanced into the basket, sifting through it with her own eyes before finding something she liked. She withdrew a small cheesecake, plain but with a topping of whipped cream.
No wonder… considering both of which could be described as fluffy.
"And for you?" asked Inuba as she turned to Dante with her basket.
"Hmmm…" he hummed as he looked inside, "Aha! There you are!"
He reached in and grabbed a rectangular maple flavored doughnut, going at it just as quickly as he grabbed it.
"He must really like your baking," Arex said, watching the doughnut disappear from Dante's hand.
She was actually looking forward to this, considering she liked learning new things from trying anything made from people of higher skill than herself. Lately, those people have been few and far between, considering everything she learned advanced her own skills.
Adapting had always been her specialty.
If her hopes were still high, she'd probably get even better with her own baking if Inuba happened to be a better baker than she was. Though, Arex was getting increasingly more bored with how few people she's discovered that happened to achieve that level of baking…
She hoped Inuba was different.
"To be honest, he only ever eats when I make something. Other than that, he really doesn't eat all that much. He said my cooking and baking was just absolutely heaven-like and…" she paused for a moment, as if she were trying to understand the meaning herself behind her next words, "he says everything else doesn't taste all too well for him. As if it's bland...or rather...it didn't even have a taste…"
Arex unwrapped her carrot cake, taking Inuba's words in as she did so, "To each their own, I guess. I'd bake something to challenge that theory, but with a bar already set so high, I don't think it'd matter."
"Nonsense. I assume you are as skilled or better."
"An assumption like that is difficult if you don't know where my baking skills lie," Arex replied, "Or if I have any to begin with."
"She's being modest," Anoel interjected, catching a small glare from her little sister in return, "Arex owns the best bakery in town. Just ask the locals."
"We'll have to visit sometime then. Right?" Inuba asked, looking to Dante.
"Right, of course," he said before devouring another maple doughnut.
"It's closed right now, considering I'm the one who runs it," Arex informed, but she slowly drew in her legs and placed her plate on the bed before her, "Besides, I didn't want to talk it up in the first place…"
"It's the life essence to most of the locals," Anoel commented again, already halfway through the cup of delectable trifle in her hands, "They were pretty disheartened when they heard it'd be closed for a while. Most of them even complained there wasn't any other place they could go with the same quality, let alone the pricing along with it."
Anoel happily smiled, taking another bite of her treat as Arex stared at her, glare slowly forming behind her disbelief.
"Really now? Well, if they think that, then we definitely have to go over once you open it back up. Call us over when you do," Dante said.
"I… might," Arex replied in mild consideration, but it wasn't something she avidly ever strived for. Advertising was always one of her weaknesses, and quite frankly, she hated doing it.
Her sister, on the other hand… Arex didn't even know where to start with her…
Anoel was the only reason why her bakery became so widely known. Its main front wasn't even supposed to be just a bakery either, it doubled as both a forge and her home.
"If you don't mind us asking, from which parts do all of you hail from?" Inuba asked, pulling out a blueberry muffin for herself.
"Arex and I are from just outside of Vale, Kitsuki from Mistral," Anoel took the liberty of answering, keeping the specifics out of the equation. She neglected to mention the origins of Niro as well, keeping that unsaid for now, "Judging by your last name, I'd assume you're all part of the Kitsukami Estate in the north-eastern mountain range nearby."
"Oh?" started Dante quizzically, "So you know a bit about us then?"
"More or less," Anoel replied cheekily, enjoying her treats.
"Still though...how much do you know?" he asked with a coy smile.
"That depends." Anoel took another small spoonful up and ate it, "How long do you plan to stay here?"
"Well… For a long, long time from what it looks like…" replied Dante, resting his chin in his hand.
"I was referring to this room, not your banishment," Anoel replied with a grin, wondering how much she could hint at before leaving the rest for herself.
Inuba jumped slightly when she heard Anoel say that, Arex and Kitsuki looking in confusion in the same moment. Dante dropped his smile, only leveling a stare at Anoel in its place.
"Now how would you know about that?" His tone lost its carefreeness, bordering on a new level of seriousness he apparently rarely ever turned to.
"Because there isn't a soul on this planet that can withstand a single punch from my partner," Anoel replied evenly, stirring the remains of her dessert around, "You may not know this, but you stick out like a blot of black on a white canvas. And if anyone had any aura sense to them, they'd easily pick you out of a crowd for how unique it seems to be."
Anoel finished off her treat, setting the empty cup aside as she crossed one ankle over the other.
"It also helps that you're not human."
Inuba seemed to be ready to move, but glanced at Dante worriedly for a moment. He only kept his eyes trained on Anoel, studying her carefully and calmly.
"If you're worried about anyone finding out about this, you need to only look as far as Niro to get your answer," Anoel continued, crossing her arms beneath her chest as she lowered her hat at them, "He couldn't care less about the matter, and neither do I."
Dante continued staring for a few more seconds before he closed his eyes, chuckling to himself before opening them again.
"How interesting… You could tell as many people as you'd want, it wouldn't make a difference to me at all. The only reason she was concerned was because of our previous 'affiliations'. As for your partner...well… I'll admit he managed to give me quite the tickle…"
"If it hurt you, he'd probably be disappointed, considering he held back quite a bit," Anoel stated dismissively.
"Why do you think I said tickled? He didn't do that much with his punch."
"It doesn't matter much, he usually just does what he wants anyway," Anoel replied, looking up for a moment with a tilted gaze. She's never seen the day where Niro put his full strength toward anything, she just knew she never wanted to be around when that day happened, "In any case, I suppose some of your other secrets are more sensitive than that one, really."
"Not really. I'd tell you if you ask, considering I'm not bound by any restrictions anymore."
"Like I said before, I couldn't care less about it," Anoel restated, bringing her gaze back down to Dante's own, "Though, your willingness to prove its pointlessness is admirable."
"Well, I wouldn't say pointless. Like I said, not bound by any rules anymore. Well, except for the rules here at Beacon that is."
"You've already broken one of them by fighting in the hallway," Anoel pointed out, another cheshire grin flashing across her lips.
"Fighting you say? I wasn't aware that we were fighting... Horsing around would be the more accurate term if anything."
"I don't think horsing around sends what's widely recognized as a gunshot down the hallway of this dormitory," Anoel replied, but she soon tilted her head and dismissed that thought, "But that's what the general public thinks. I'm not talking in regards to what you or I think. There's a reason why there's a term for public opinion or a general audience. They don't know the specifics."
"True enough I suppose. So then...if I'm not human...what exactly might I be?" he asked with interest.
"It takes more than just looking at you to figure that one out," Anoel stated, turning her gaze away now as she glanced to Kitsuki and Arex on the bed.
They were both long since finished with their own desserts by now.
"It's something I'll need to do a little digging for, if it's an answer you actually seek," she finished.
Dante chuckled once more before he broke out laughing for a short bit.
"I like her," he commented to Inuba before turning back to Anoel, "If you do find out, please, do tell me."
Anoel hummed, tapping her chin for a few moments before shrugging, "That depends how much you're willing to pay me for information that valuable."
"Oh?" he smiled, "What's your price then?"
"Depends on the information, but it can either be money… or something else," Anoel explained, giving Dante a final cheeky smile, "sometimes favors, sometimes other services."
"Hmm… Favors or services you say… Such as?" he asked with an equally cheeky smile.
"It's determined upon the transaction of the information, so I can't say," she replied teasingly.
"But it can be anything, right?"
"Only if I think it's worth the effort of obtaining the information."
"Well, if you do find out, I will promise to make it worth your while."
Anoel nodded, tilting her head again as she hummed, "You can try. Very few men can satisfy me."
"Lucky for you...I'm not like other men."
"I'll be the judge of that," Anoel smiled.
Both she and Dante glanced at Inuba, whose face had turned completely red throughout the exchange. Interestingly enough, it almost seemed as though her head was smoking as she muttered silently to herself.
"Oh…" Anoel laughed, staring at the girl for a few moments, "I think we broke her."
"Uh-oh. Hold on, I've got just the thing."
He then reached out and gently pinched the tips of Inuba's fox ears, playfully spreading them apart back and forth.
His voice grew into a subtle whisper as he tried for her attention, "Hello in there! Wakey wakey!"
Inuba snapped out of her heated stupor immediately, eyes refocusing to Dante's own irises in front of her before her cheeks flushed further into the red. A silent squeal almost escaped her lips, if she didn't stifle it last minute.
"You alright there?" he asked, chuckling as he let go.
Before Inuba could answer, both Dante's attention and Anoel's turned to the door. The presence of two others lingering behind it.
"I don't suppose those two are here for the two of you?" Anoel asked, leaning away from her desk and glancing past Dante and Inuba.
"Guess so…"
"Alright! Come out with your hands up, and we might not just try to tickle you to death!"
"You didn't even read me rights. And assaulting me by tickling? You'd make a terrible officer Ciel," Dante replied.
There was a silence behind the door for a few moments.
"No! You would!" the voice responded.
"Yeah yeah yeah…"
"She sounds adorable," Anoel noted, before gesturing toward the door, "Looks like you need to go, though."
"Apparently. Well, thanks for having us then. Let's do this again sometime. It was fun."
"Maybe, it'd depend on Niro being here or not," Anoel pointed out, "He's the only factor at the moment. I'd rather not have you and him in the same room."
"Not yet anyway… Well, goodbye for now. We hope to work well with you all and such in the future," he said, extending a hand to Anoel.
"Keep bringing treats, and we'll see about that," Anoel took Dante's hand with her own.
"Oh~ So that's how…"
"It's a little more advanced than that, honey, but you're close," Anoel smiled, before letting his hand go and nodding to the door.
Which, at the moment, was suffering a beating at the hands of a young, restless, needy girl.
"I know it's not through direct contact or anything, but I know enough now to the point I've got it nearly figured out entirely. You're not the only person who can read people extensively you know…"
"I never said I was," Anoel replied quietly.
He then opened the door and moved out of the way, Ciel nearly falling in and only stopping just short of the ground as her older brother caught her by the waist.
The girl had a little cat-like grin, contentedly dangling in her brother's grasp as he walked out of the room, her small feet dangling limply off the ground.
"One last thing," he paused, glancing back into the room, "I was serious about before you know. Before I came here, I was told I would eventually find out the actual truth as to who I really am. That I'd find the missing pieces I've been hunting for years now. If you do find anything...anything at all...I will promise to make it worth your while."
"You can try," Anoel waved the teen goodbye, watching as a distracted Inuba found her way into the hallway as well, "Oh, and Inuba honey, I have some extra panties if you need any. But, I'm sure you can find a dry pair quickly enough considering your dorm's right there."
Anoel let out one more teasing smile before Dante closed the door, Inuba smoking from all four ears with an adorably shocked gasp just before the door clicked shut.
Then they were gone.
"I see why Niro hates him…"
Inuba is the final member of the neighboring team I've introduced, also owned by andy. Who, again, helped with keeping all his characters in line by writing responses for the dialogue of this chapter.
I'll be getting back to my antics now that introductions are out of the way. Besides, I have other characters I want to turn to now.
I wonder… how blurred can I make the line between cute and sexual…
Part of me wonders if it's pushed too far, but then I realize Anoel adores Arex's reactions.
For now, Favorite and Follow.
I look forward to seeing REVIEWS for this. You'll be introduced to a LOT of concepts of mine. Feel free to give me your thoughts.
Cya XP