Hiya!
So, this chapter is a little of a build-up chapter, and for once I have some of the next chapter's outlines written out, and I like where it's going!
Usually, I like to just write and see where the story takes me, but after Atrium, I found out that it doesn't always work. Of course, it does sometimes, but not always.
The more you know!
Amy: You'd think that would be a lesson she would have learned by now.
Me: Hey!
Lilith: Indeed.
Me: Not helping. Not helping at all.
Erin: Not our fault if you can't handle the truth.
Me: Says the OC.
Amy: That just goes right back to you, you know.
Lilith: She's, for once, correct. In a way, you are only talking to yourself.
Erin: Jeez, someone has no friends.
Me:...you guys suck. Why did I ever write you?
Amy: For the people's entertainment!
Lilith: To help exude your angsty teen ideas.
Erin: To be better than Amy.
Amy: Girl, you like throw down?
Erin: Any day, grandma.
Me: Why do you two have to throw down every time? I swear, calm thyself! I don't got time for this, I have a chapter to put up, now shush.
Anywho, with that out of the way...
ONWARDS!
"Anything else on Cresil and his lab?"
"Well, as you already know, my king, his body was identified as the one that was found two days ago," The servant said, doing all he could not to tremble like a scared child in front of the king, "Furthermore, it was confirmed that Cresil had been keeping an angel down in his lab, which has escaped."
"Thanks to that Rifter girl."Legion snarled quietly, but Satan let it slide. He had other things to worry about.
"You're excused."The king muttered, before letting out a sigh when the servant disappeared behind the doors, "As are you, Legion."
"But, your highness,"Legion said, almost whining, "With all due respect, with everything happening, I feel my place is better, to serve at your side."
"That is not your call to make. Leave."
To this, Legion sneered, before finally bowing, "As you wish, my lord."Legion murmured, before disappearing.
"...You know, one of these days, either he's gonna figure out that you're playing him, or he's gonna wonder why it feels so easy to play you." Belphegor murmured from where he was.
Lying down on the ground.
"With everything happening, I have other matters to attend to. He is not my top priority, not when I have an angel within these walls. I want to make sure that Sathanus has at least half the guard force here, no one comes in and goes out without my knowledge."
"Of course." Belphegor murmured, before yawning, "You know, never thought that we'd get pushed this far off."
"Agreed."
Belphegor looked the king over. No one else could tell, since there weren't many who had known the guy for so long, so it was hard to tell when the guy was stressed, "I know that this goes without saying it, am I'm your 'royal advisor' and all, but do you need to talk about it?"
"I'm sure that you've picked up hints, old friend. I just don't know why it all begins to fall apart now."
Belphegor thought for a bit, before murmuring, "Do you think that she has something to do with it?"
"Either she's the cause or is being used as a cover." Satan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Either way, she has something to do with it. Artifact in hand or not, she has a vexing hand in this, all if it."
"I assume that you want someone to increase watch on her?" Belphegor asked, ready to chalk it up as yet another mental note.
"...No."
"No!?" Belphegor said, before groaning, holding his head. This was a bit too much mental work to hold him under, "B-but my lord-."
"I've given her the warning, if we step farther into this, there's a chance that she could retaliate. I will not have another outburst within my castle's walls, I've already had to deal with an angel, I will not lose guards to what seems to be a dormant threat."
Belphegor wanted to voice how this could backfire, only to sigh, "As you wish, my lord. My job is to provide assistance as required, not to stick my nose where it is not wanted."
"A wise move, old friend."
Kuro sighed with relief when she looked out the window, watching as Corvus left the castle once again. This morning, he had woken up early. Being the recent circumstances, Kuro had been awoken the moment the bed bounced, just a bit.
He had apologized for waking her up, before stating that he was being called to a sort of press conference. With the angel out on the loose, the nobility was demanding answers. And, being how the king was busy with prior engagements, it was Corvus' job to step up.
So, of course, once he left, Kuro pulled on the same attire as yesterday.
She hummed to herself, tying her hair back, before thinking. She had to find a good way out of here, and fast. Marax had hinted that they were ready for her arrival, but her window of time was closing quickly.
As usual, her questions and troubles were answer with a knock on the door, "L-lady Kuro?"
"Birdbrain isn't here, come on in." Kuro said, watching the small maid open the door, bowing before closing it behind her.
As usual, Kuro stayed off to the side, watching the maid clean. On day one, the girl was a closed case, unwilling to say anything unless questioned directly. But now, not only has her stuttering gone down, but she talks almost to herself while cleaning Kuro's room.
In a way, Vanth was turning into Kuro.
Which was kinda bad; hell can only handle one Kuro.
"Lady Kuro?"
Kuro shook her head, giving the concerned girl a small smile, "Yeah?"
"Is something wrong?"
"Nah, what makes you say that?"
"Well," Vanth murmured, twirling the light purple ribbon around her finger, "You're just kinda standing there, s-silently."
"My bad, I've got a lot on my mind is all." Kuro insisted.
"Such as?"
Kuro stopped for a moment. Was it smart to get Vanth included in all of this? Her life was hard as is, to add on the weight that Kuro held, that could easily crush her. But, at the same time, there wasn't anyone else that Kuro could talk to freely, recent events cutting off Arc, and she knew that Vanth wouldn't spill.
"I'll tell you some other time." Kuro insisted, rubbing her arm.
Vanth looked suspicious, but knew better then to ask, "Okay." he murmured, going back to cleaning, "I'm here when y-you wanna talk and ask questions."
This get Kuro's attention, "Well, wanna test that?"
"Huh?"
Kuro took a peek outside her door, making sure that no one was outside, before ducking back in, "Alright, since you've worked her for a long enough time, you've got to know a good way out of here."
To this, Vanth stopped cleaning, rubbing her arm, "Well...W-well, I…"
"Come on, you've got to know some secret passages in and out of here." Kuro muttered, before going to her vanity. She nearly ripped the drawers open, taking out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen, "Here, could you draw me up a map?"
Vanth took the pen and paper with shaking hands, giving Kuro a fearful look, "I…I know them, but...But if I were to give them to you and y-you get caught…"
"Then I guess I just won't get caught." Kuro insisted, before ruffling her hair, "I won't tell them anything about you if I do get caught."
Vanth looked around once more, as if the closet or the bed had ears to listen and mouths to tell, before nodding, "Okay, lemme just...see if I can...can r-remember how to draw it all out…"
Kuro didn't know why, but in a way, she could totally foresee herself tumbling out a garbage chute to get out of the castle.
Kuro made a face, pulling off something she really didn't want to identify, before stepping out of the trash. She looked around, and just as Vanth had said, no one was in the area.
She pulled the crude map from her jacket pocket, looking it over once more. Vanth had drawn a rather detailed map of all the entrances, exits and quick passages within the castle, most of which on the first floor.
Getting down there wasn't too hard, but she had to do a lot of extra checks to make sure that no one noticed as she slipped herself down the garbage chute.
She then rolled it up, shoving it back into her jacket pocket, before walking on.
Taking another look around, Kuro couldn't help but shake her head.
In the Rift, there was an area that many referred to as "The Vastum", which meant "waste" in Latin. Now that she's seen it for herself, she understood the meaning behind the name, as well as the fury for the Rifters who were unlucky enough to be planted here.
Kuro walked on, maybe half a mile away from the bar. All the while, she kept her head down, keeping eyes away from others on the streets. She had no doubt in her ability to fight when needed, but the less confrontations, the better.
Furthermore, she'd never hear the end of it if she were to get injured, Corvus wouldn't let her.
Looking around, she couldn't help but smile just a bit as she passed the street community. As wretched, messy and anarchic as it was, it was familiar. It was home.
She passed by an older demon, telling stories to the surrounding children. Down another street, she did what she could to ignore a young couple sucking face, "They look like two confused cat fish", as Vale had once said.
Finally, the streets went from beat up to just a bit cleaner, and finally, she came to a stop outside the desired bar.
She stepped up to it, noticing the closed blinds behind the windows, which meant that they were waiting for her.
Before she could even knock on the door, it flew open, a gun pushed up under her chin.
Rather than retaliating, Kuro gave the little girl a confused look. She knew she's seen this girl before, but where exactly-?
"Shit, don't make it so obvious, it's her!" She heard Vale hiss, pulling the girl back inside by the collar.
Kuro grinned, walking in, before closing the door behind her. She breathed it all in, it felt so good to be back home.
"Yo, Shax, whip me up a little something?" Kuro said, taking her seat at his counter, slapping Zagan's back in greeting.
The demon, in response, did the same to her, nearly snapping her in half, "comrade, good to see you!"
"Same, Reinhardt." Kuro said with a grin, before Shax put a glass down next to her.
"It's about time you decided to show up." Vale muttered, before going up the stairs, "Shax had to stay close from the moment Marax got us the message, all because of you."
To this, Kuro cringed, before rubbing the back of her head, "Sorry about that. Shax."
"Not a problem." Shax sighed, his tone saying otherwise, before shaking his head, "Once Vale drags my bum of a brother down here, we can start."
All the while, Kuro swore that she could feel something staring at the back of her neck. Turning around, she met eyes with that same girl, who was now cleaning her gun, eyes never leaving her, "You got a problem with me, short stack?"
The girl quickly shot up from her chair, "What did you just call me, kitty cat?"
"Oh, use something creative, joker on drugs." Kuro murmured, gesturing to her hair, "I mean, what is up with the mess on your head? Pink and orange, you trying to stick out like a sore thumb?"
the girl hissed, looking ready to shoot, only to have Shax sigh, "Sarlea, do not do anything rash."
"I don't care who she is, ain't no one gonna shit talk me!" Sarlea growled.
It was then that it clicked, "Oh, you're Dajjal's little sis, right?"
"Not that it matters." Sarlea spat, before sitting back down, "big bro kicked the bucket, and you didn't do much to help."
"You don't know the position I was in." Kuro growled, standing up from her chair. Zagan tried to hold her back, only to have his hand pushed off, "You talk like you could beat me, but all I have to do is throw a magnet down to the ground to screw you over."
"Those are fighting words, you pussy." Sarlea shouted, looking like she was ready to jump Kuro.
"Kuro, do not egg her on." Shax scowled, making sure that Kuro sat down before sighing, shaking his head, "I swear, you two are so alike."
"Am not!"
"Does it look like I was held hostage by Hot Topic?" Kuro hissed.
Before it could go on, Vale marched down the stairs, eyes narrowed as he sent both girls a look, "Is there a problem?"
"N-no." Sarlea muttered, grumbling to herself as she put her gun back on the table, throwing her high-top shoes onto the table.
Shax sighed, giving Vale a shrug. In response, the tiger demon threw Abraxas, who had been hung over his shoulder, onto the floor, "May we begin now?"
"Next time just ask me to walk down before just throwing me over your shoulder." Abraxas grumbled from where he was, tugging at his hood to make sure it stayed in place, before getting up and taking the other seat next to Kuro, rolling his shoulder blade as he did so.
"That's no fun." Kuro teased, earning a hair ruffling from both Zagan and Abraxas, much to her irritation.
"To begin, there are signs of possibilities for another rebellion. Of course, since the last one was formed on a fluke, they're planning something bigger this time around. Vale?"
"I have a lot of close colleagues in on it," Vale murmured, taking Kuro's drink as he went on, ignoring how Kuro made a wild grab for him when he took a sip, not bothering to look at her glaring expression, "They're giving me information as we speak."
"Don't forget about Sliuxaro." Sarlea shouted from her spot at her table, "I know I'm not old enough to sit with the big kids, but still, gotta give me credit for something."
"Who's this wannabe Pokémon she's talking about?" Kuro asked, snatching back her glass the moment Vale put it back on the counter.
"He's the demon that is said to be in charge of the riot dates and meetings." Shax clarified, before passing Vale his own drink, "According to our intel-."
"Which was me!"
"…Which was Sarlea's findings, as she's so happy to point out, have proven this, as well as a few odd followers going with this movement, if you could call it that."
"Who's in on it?" Kuro asked, getting hyped. It had been so long, she just wanted to get into a fight, feel that rush.
"From what I've gathered on the streets, a lot of gangs are teaming up, which isn't something you'll see often." Abraxas said, scratching his forehead, "Heard a bit from what few are left from the Frost, Bloodbath and a newer gang, the Bronze Fangs."
"Hah, where'd they get that name, 'gang name fantasy generator'?"
"What about Skinner's group?" Zagan asked, "I haven't heard from the guy."
"they're still deciding, but they're leaning towards yes, from what I am able to understand." Vale said.
"So, we've got a whole group of enemies teaming up to take down the king." Kuro muttered, before grinning, "The whole capitol is gonna have a reason to pray soon."
"And what of your side?" Shax asked, giving Kuro a look, "You're the one who asked for a meeting, what do you have to bring to the table?"
to this, Kuro gulped, rubbing her arm. Even in the place she considered the safest place in all of hell, nothing could save her from the threats that Satan had made.
"Well, for starters, there's apparently an angel on the loose." Kuro began, smirking when Abraxas' jaw dropped, "The capitol's doing everything they can to cover it up. Only reason I was able to sneak out was because the Crow had to attend a hearing."
"So, there's a lot of chaos going around." Abraxas grinned, before nudging Zagan, "You know, I bet you that, if word were to get out, the Surface Smugglers would have a field day."
"Oh?" Kuro asked, listening in. This was where she wanted the conversation to go.
"Think about it," Vale reasoned, "There will be a lot of attention going to keeping this under control. That means that the recent guard increase will stop. If they hint to anything else, the Rifters are sure to do something, something that they won't like."
"Makes sense." Kuro murmured, before rubbing her hands together.
Shax, being the impeccable faggot he was, quickly noticed, "You're hiding something."
"Huh?"
"Out with it." Shax murmured, going back to cleaning the countertop, "We do not have all day."
It wasn't like she had much of a choice anyway, so she spilled it all. Everything about the threat made, and how it was growing a bit too bad.
"Oh, so you've got two princes wrapped around your ring finger?" Abraxas wolf-whistled, "You dirty girl."
"That's not what I'm getting at." Kuro pressed, "If they decide to go ahead and try to investigate me further, they'll find this place."
"They'll finally eradicate us." Vale said, putting it together and summarizing it pretty neatly.
"Then we move." Abraxas said, as if it were the easiest thing on hell.
"It would look pretty odd if a bar within the Rift were to suddenly close down." Vale murmured, "That would catch their attention."
"It would also be a large hassle for us to move Shax's library." Zagan murmured.
"Actually, it would be possible for me to condense it into a single book, if I wanted to." Shax admitted, thinking aloud as he went on, "It may become handy, a whole library's worth of knowledge in a single book."
"Well, someone get this man a PS3 and that one game, what was it...Oh yeah, 'Book of Spells'. Dude will be a book-wielding mage in no time!" Kuro jeered.
All the while, Abraxas went silent, as if deep thought. After years of working with the guy, even with the time absence, she knew him well enough to know what he was thinking, "...There's always something else we can do."
Vale, being the guy he was, knew where this was going, "No, that's not an option."
"Does someone want to clue the rest of us in?" Zagan muttered, growling with irritation.
"I already said, Surface Smugglers would have a field day if they found out about the angel incident," Abraxas grinned, "And, last I checked, that just so happens to be a hobby of mine."
"Too risky." Vale said, strongly against it, "They may have more attention on the inside, but they'd still be able to see us trying to leave. We'd have to give them more to look at, give them an extra distraction."
"The riot." Kuro murmured. She looked around, "You guys said it yourself, they're planning to have one, so why not use it as cover?"
"But still, the risk of being caught it too great!" Vale insisted, before looking to Shax, "You know it as well as I do."
"...We either stay and risk being caught or try to escape and risk being caught." Shax thought aloud, before turning to Vale, "Only one option has assurance, however little, that we will live on."
"But there's no way for the nobility to hunt us down once we cross, they won't know where we end up." Abraxas grinned, before saluting, "Surface Smuggler's honor."
"This is all just an absurd idea!" Vale spat, irritated, "There is so much that we'd need, so much preparation in the time that we don't have!"
Kuro shook her head. The plan made perfect sense, and honestly, while it had to be done quickly, they had a lot of time.
No, something else was keeping him here.
"...You don't want to leave Marax down here, do you?" Kuro finally voiced, knowing she was correct far before it was said.
Vale scowled, looking away, "...I grew up with him and his sister on the streets. To just leave one day, even if he knows, it would be wrong."
"Aww, look at that, Vale does care!" Abraxas grinned, only to take a clean elbow to the jaw, nearly making Abraxas fall off. Shax, being himself, pretended not to have seen anything.
"It would be a fool's move, no more direct communication to hell. I don't know if you've noticed, but a demon on the Surface do not have many ways of staying strong while in the human world."
"You're saying that we'd have to return sooner or later," Kuro murmured, leaning back, "Which is why all of us leaving wouldn't be smart."
"Easy, I'll stay behind."
All of them turned to look at Sarlea, who was still playing it all off coolly. She then sighed, giving them all a dead look, "What? Oh, now you've got a problem when I finally decide to try being helpful?"
"Why would you bother though?" Abraxas growled, instantly smelling betrayal. Zagan looked just as alert, his hand gripping the glass so hard, cracks were beginning to form, "You've made it clear that you don't like us, nor do you favor honoring the agreement your brother had made."
She gave them all a look, before laughing, almost bitterly, "You want the honest truth? Fine, I just don't want to risk being caught."
She then stood, as to make a point, "Think about it, if you guys leave, I've basically got this place all to myself. If I get questioned, which probably won't happen for a while, I say I took the place over after living on the streets and finding this place abandoned. Furthermore, I can keep contact between you guys and Marax."
"Which means that you can tell us when it's safe to come back." Kuro finished.
"And how do we know that we can trust you?" Zagan growled. From under his trench coat, Kuro could see something moving, like Vale's tail, but ignored it. She knew what it was, and as far as she was concerned, she wanted to be as far away as possible before it had to be used.
"Naturally, you don't know that." Sarlea said, a hint of a smirk beginning to grow on her face, "But, looking around, you don't seem to have any other options. Vale knows that Dajjal passed down his secrets to communication between here and the Surface. I'm your only option. I hold all the cards here."
Kuro gave her a look for a second, before breaking down into laughter. This gave her many odd looks, before she finally managed to say words, "My Satan, she just played us all!" Kuro grinned, cracking up, before walking over to the girl.
She must have assumed that Kuro was to be hostile, as she drew her gun, ready to fire. Too which Kuro only grinned, holding her hand out, "As tough as you try to be, you've got my respect!"
"...Right." Sarlea muttered, slapping the hand away. Kuro, however, wasn't blind enough to miss the small relieved smile on the girl's face.
"Then that is settled." Shax stated, "We will make our leave during the next riot, which is yet to be planned, and after we get what we need here hidden or condensed, which also has an unknown timeline ahead."
"There are a lot of unknowns in this plan, even with all our factors in place." Vale sighed, "I said it once, I'll reiterate it; this is not wise."
"But it's better than nothing." Abraxas said, backing up his brother.
"We have been through much worse." Zagan insisted, before taking a swing, "Remember the assassination of Adelram?"
"Oh yeah, that was a nightmare." Kuro grinned, loving the start down nostalgia road, "Damn fucker wouldn't stay down, all because of that damn jacket."
"What?" Abraxas mumbled, confused, before snapping his fingers, "Oh, I wasn't here for that! But what jacket are you talking about? I'd like to know!"
"Nope, you don't get that privilege." Shax said, almost teasingly.
"What? No fair!"
"Very fair, you weren't here, so no inside-scoop for you!" Zagan guffawed.
"That jacket was a form of the original Armor of Agathys, an angelic relic left behind." Vale muttered, looking bored with the little game, much to everyone else's disappointment.
"What exactly are those, if I may ask?" Sarlea asked from what Kuro was now calling the kid's table, "I've heard that word thrown around before, when Dajjal did back work for Skinner; what are they?"
"Long story short, they're items, weapons, anything that angel's left behind after the war." Shax said, before turning to Vale, "You have one, do you not?"
"Only a piece." Vale sighed, before pulling out a familiar handkerchief, "It has done me well in the past."
"What exactly does it do, if I may ask?" Kuro questioned.
"It can be used to change my appearance to select people." Vale murmured, "Found it when Marax, his sister and I were running from the last of the wars on the streets."
Abraxas grinned, looking just a bit tipsy, "You know, to do a proper Surface smuggle, you need an angelic relic."
"Oh?" Kuro murmured, her interest peeked, "How does that work?"
"Well, it's proven that the only way for a demon to leave is if they're royal or if they're about to go onto contract." Abraxas spilled, "But, another way to leave is if an angelic relic is destroyed at the abyss, or if you have a different angelic relic. I forget what it was called, but I know that it has the energy to expel what the angels did when they invaded during the war."
"Interesting. Thanks for the history lesson." Sarlea yawned, looking bored, "Is this all you guys do? Drink and talk?"
"And joke," Kuro added, "You can't forget that."
Vale looked as if he were to say something else, only to groan when a knock came to the door, "That's my signal to leave. I'll be attending a meeting to discuss the next assault on the castle. It pains me to see the day that the Rift begins to act just a bit civil, but it seems necessary for our plan to come to fruition."
Kuro could see it; Vale really didn't like the idea, but even he seemed to realize it. There was no other way for them to make an exit here. To charge the capitol head on would be a death wish, but also the best cover.
In the end, his greed would be the thing to get him to agree.
"Well, if you old geezers are done down here, I'll be going back up to my room." Sarlea muttered, excusing herself as well. She gave Kuro one last glare, before going up those stairs.
Once they all heard the door close, Shax spoke what Kuro had been thinking, "She's like a you from the past."
"Hold on, I was never that bad!" Kuro exclaimed.
"Oh, course not, but under all that gold and odd hair color choices, she's still a little girl that wants to manipulate the game."
"I didn't just want to, I did it without realizing I held all the cards at most points." Kuro admitted sheepishly.
"Either way, I'd prefer past Kuro over present Sarlea, any day." Abraxas insisted.
"I'll drink to that!" Zagan grinned.
To that, Kuro smirked, raising her cup one last time, "You're willing to drink to anything, big guy."
After that last drink, she said her farewells. As much as she wanted to stretch the time she had, feel normal for just a bit longer once more, she knew better then to tempt fate. The whole meeting had taken an hour at most, but any more time could result in Corvus returning before she.
In which cause, it would have all been for nothing.
Vanth had to admit, today had been a pretty normal day.
After the quick chat and map-drawing with Kuro, she'd gone to the laundry room to do her job, enjoying the silence since a lot of the maids volunteered to go with the Crow prince, as if they didn't understand that their outlandish dreams had to come to an end when Kuro stepped onto the scene.
Of course, it was derailed when the lady herself popped out from the wall, seeming to appear from nowhere, "Would you look at that, it is a secret door!"
Vanth had no shame saying it, she was pretty sure she fainted, since the next view she saw was Kuro over her, a grin on her face, "You alright, short-stack?"
Vanth's squeak seemed good enough for Kuro, being how she sat the small girl down. The two sat in silence for a bit, Vanth going back to her laundry, before Kuro asked, "Hey, you ever been to the surface?"
Vanth shook her head, "No, I've b-been living here for most of my life."
Kuro ruffled her head, much to Vanth's mild irritation, "Jeez, if I didn't know any better, I'd assume that the only time you've been to the Rift was when I took you."
When Vanth gave her a confused look, Kuro asked, "What's with the look? Do I have something on my face? Come on, man, you gotta tell me if I got something on my face, it's the only pretty thing I've got left. More or less."
"Oh, nothing is on your f-face, trust me." Vanth said, giggling, "But...I forgot that I told you about my time on the s-streets."
"Ah, no worries, I forget stuff all the time." Kuro insisted, poking at a stack of laundry, only to have it tip over. She made sure that Vanth was absorbed in her task before pushing the rest behind her, she'd have to remember to clean that all up later, "You learn to just roll with it."
"That's another thing when it comes to you, Kuro." Vanth murmured softly, "How is it t-that it is so easy to talk to you?"
To this, Kuro shrugged, "I don't know. I'm told that it is very easy to talk to me. I have no idea why, since most of the time I don't know how to keep my mouth shut, but hey, who am I to question it, am I right?"
Vanth grinned, before going back to folding, "...Kuro?"
"Hmm?"
"Will you tell me a story?" Vanth asked, eyes lighting up. In these weary days, she could always depend on Kuro having something funny to say. But, by far, her stories were the best. They sometimes merged the line that determined what was real and what wasn't, others feeling so emotional, Vanth would be at the verge of tears. But, in every instance, it was a great source of joy in this dreary life of servitude.
Kuro, not being one to let down, sat back for a moment, "...Okay...Alright, have I ever told you about the time I almost got myself thrown into the abyss of the Rift?"
"No, b-but that sounds scary." Vanth murmured.
"Well, if you don't wanna hear, then I won't tell." Kuro said in a teasing tone.
The pouty look on Vanth's face nearly made her laugh, before Kuro shook her head, "Fine, if you wanna prove yourself so badly, big girl, then buckle in. You're in it for the long haul."
And so, Kuro told the story, as dramatically as ever. Not only did it help Vanth forget, just for a moment, that she was trapped within the castle's walls, but it also helped Kuro.
It took her away from the stress of being with the Crow prince, the now strained-feeling of her relationship, if there was still any, with Arc. It helped her forget the threats made by the king himself, the memories from which still haunting her in both daydreams and nightmares.
For a moment, Kuro could go back to a better time, harder in some ways of course, but still, times that she longed for, "So, Abraxas, being the dumbass he was, decided to go ahead and start some beef with these guys from a different gang, called Bloodbath, and, well, we decided that there might have been something wrong when he didn't come back within the next three days."
Vanth, as usual, held on to every word, looking mystified. Kuro went on to explain more of the story in great detail, so good that she could imagine herself there.
"So, me being the idiot I am, I tackle the first dude I see, only to realize that, hey, I've got no knife on me, and this demon is at least three times my height and weight. Now, I'm not saying that I was scared, but I may or may not have let out a pretty wimpy squeak when the dude's hand was big enough to grab me by the head and lift me up."
As Kuro went on, she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to Vanth had she really grown up fully in the Rift. How would she be? Would she still be this polite? She stopped thinking about it the moment Sarlea popped into her mind. From what she'd gathered, the two were around the same age, and Kuro really didn't want to imagine Vanth with gold sticking out of her eyebrow, "And so, to this day, I can't look at spoons the same ever again."
Vanth laughed, the noise sounding much too pure for her own ears. Kuro had done a lot of messed up shit, but even she knew that Vanth was too good for hell.
She, unlike her, deserved better.
"You may want to go back up t-to your room," Vanth said, wiping her laughter tears away, "Corvus may be wondering where you went."
Kuro shook her head. Maybe it was because she didn't want this sense of security to leave, or maybe it was because she knew that Vanth didn't really want her to leave, but either way, she wasn't planning on standing any time soon. She was in the castle, so it wasn't like Corvus could really get mad, right?
"Dude can wait," Kuro insisted, before ruffling Vanth's hair once more, "have I ever told you about the time I fought off a whole guard squadron with a folding chair and a match?"
Sadly, you guys will never know how Kuro managed to defeat a whole guard squadron with a folding chair and a match.
On a whole other note, f I could draw, I'd want to draw Zagan in Reinhardt's armor. I don't know why, I had originally tried to write him out to be a mindless brute, but as time went on, he kinda grew into a violent Reinhardt.
Won't lie, I kinda love it.
Someone brought up that they thought that the Vanth and Kuro relationship would lead to yuri. I'll be dead honest, that's not where it's going at all. I'm trying to write it out as Vanth had had to deal with rich stuck-ups like Corvus for the majority of her life, which slowly purges her of the usual Rifter ideals, and then Kuro comes in with this whole "Oh, you look bored, let me lighten up your day". And then from there, it doesn't go any further than admiration.
That's something else I'd draw. Just Kuro and Vanth talking, and maybe Kuro ruffling Vanth's hair. They'd make a pretty good big-sis/little-sis dynamic, now that I think about it...
If I've got people who are willing to draw for me for free, please send review. You have no idea how happy I'd be to get fanart of something I wrote.
Oh, also, to the question of my age, your guess is as good as mine! XD
Sorry tho, I'm not telling, but it would be fun to see you guys guess, won't lie.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, feel free to leave a review if you did, and i'll see you guys next time!
Till then, bai bai!