Katze was beyond himself in shock as he graced the halls to Iason's private study where he arranged for the meeting to be held. He was too stumped with what he had actually laid eyes on when he had met Fate in Ceres to escort them to the designated destination. By now he was fearful of glancing over his shoulders having already confirmed the impossible with his own eyes.
By now the halls were empty in sudden preparation for the abrupt visitor that tailed Katze's every step.
As he neared the study he stiffened ever so slightly not entirely sure how Iason would react after such a phenomena that defied all logic.
"We're here," Katze announced as he simply opened the door to the study already knowing that Iason had sensed them coming since their departure from Ceres.
Taking a breath he shoved the door open.
Orphe grimaced looking over the report on another arson attack under the banner of the growing nuisance Dead Beats. They were getting a lot bolder now etching closer and closer to the heart of Midas. So far they had managed to apprehend all the attackers but still no solid name of who it was that spear headed the operation. He was at ends rope with this madness and didn't intend to place nice any further under the circumstances,
He really didn't care for the citizens as much as he once did in fact all that was on his mind was recovering a particular mongrel who carrier in him more than he knew.
Contacting Leon Claire, his second in command he decided that it was time to give the children a hearty time out to remind them that a Blondie wasn't like a human who could be trifled with without a few consequences.
Hades slipped on his black boots that crept up to his thigh revealing ever so much to tease the eyes whilst still managing to conceal enough. He had tailed Riki here on gut instinct alone and after all he had been through to find him, his friends well the two that remained loyal to him whilst the other defected, revealed to him that Riki had been kidnapped by Dead Beat.
Damn!
He had been searching high and low for him but no luck. Thought it was relatively easy to find if he had the right connections, which he was working on establishing at the moment, Dead Beat's leader wasn't even known to them.
He sighed in frustration wondering how furious lord Iason must have been at the moment after they both vanished without a word. He would accept whatever punishment he received as long as he managed to help get Riki back to Eos not just as a Furniture but as a friend.
There it was out he cared for Riki like a sibling he never had he couldn't help wanting to find him though he had only known him for such a short time he was certain that compared to all that was brewing in Iason this was nothing.
"Damn it Riki, where the hell are you?"
The silence in the room was deafening. Against Katze ringing senses the lights seemed even brighter, the chill in the room from the air conditioning seemed even colder as the tension curled in tighter. Surprisingly he wasn't the only one that felt as though he was sitting on a land mind. A glance at Roland reflected that he too didn't know what to expect at this point and seemed to be bracing for the worst.
He watched Iason, watch Fate, who returned the sound gesture.
They looked as calm and as collected as ever as they analyzed each other in nonchalant scrutiny in a way you would do if you've met someone new or a distant relative.
Katze kept up the calm façade as his eyes travelled between the identical two. He still could wrap his head around it. Fate looked like the remake of Iason himself a one of a kind model hand crafted like Jupiter herself. From the way he spoke to the way he sat held a regal air that only belonged to Iason Mink. The only notable difference would have been the colors of his black hair and luminous emerald eyes. Otherwise each intricate detail in physique and structure was the same.
Even t this moment the expression with which they regarded each other was exactly the same.
Katze briefly wondered if this was how he would react when faced with a replica, no scratch that Fate was too perfect to be passed off as anything short of the real thing. In fact it felt as though a mirror cleaved the room in two and this was the horrible yet logical result of the equal opposites which lay between logical and illogical.
And at last after a light year later, as it would seem, Iason's lips parted unfaltering eyes focused on his visitor.
"How rude of me for being a bad host is there anything I can offer you?" Iason began his tone as monotonous as ever, "water, coffee, wine perhaps?"
"I can hardly say less the least I should have done was introducing myself," Fate replied in the same faction.
"Nonsense you are a guest, you are entailed to all I have to offer," He beckoned to the furniture Jupiter had assigned to his study days ago which he refused to acknowledge until now, "and beside I already know who you are there really is no need for that now."
"I see," he seemed pensive as he analyzed the logic of those words, "well if you insist then who am I to refuse. Wine will suit me just fine."
With little need for more to be said the furniture left after asking if he preferred anything specific which he promptly declined.
"While we wait I guess I'll get this started," he laced his fingers on his lap.
"I have a hunch this fails to relate to the proposal," Fate noted nonchalantly crossing his legs inclining his knuckles to his jaw in a regal faction that made him look more at home than ever.
"The proposal?" Iason glanced idly at the window at the other end of the room that over looked the city, "no that was flawless down to every last detail. No this is about something of greater importance to me."
His words had Fate narrowing his eyes at the uncrowned King of this side of the Galaxy in the light of new found curiosity and interest.
Katze shifted his eyes to his superior genuinely uncertain if he would relay such sensitive information to as shady a figure as Fate. Apparently he would, Katze deduced as a holographic image of Riki in one of Raoul's modified suits appeared suddenly over the table with no indication of it being called for.
"I'm looking for this individual, falls into the early twenties, is currently pregnant and, in Ceres, goes by the name of Riki the Dark."
A moments silence dawned before Fate took in the full breath of Riki from soul to crown.
"I truly don't know how to answer that especially after meeting with you," Fate spoke finally as he averted his eyes from the holograph to Iason.
"And exactly what does that mean?" Katze made his presence known once again but the two seemed to only be interested in each other.
Fate drew a thin disk from the confines of his strutting black suit before sliding it across the desk apparently implying that whatever was to be seen was for Iason's eyes only. For a moment Iason seemed taken aback.
From all Katze could tell from where he sat next to Iason it was a monitoring disk connected to Fate's home. Whatever there was to be seen was lost on him when Iason took it up.
"She's in her late teens and hardly ages a day, she has passed the designated due date for delivery for some reason and goes by the name Rena," Fate informed, "I sincerely apologize but I do not know this Riki you speak of."
A pause of uncertainty from Fate had Iason resting back the monitor on the table to give Fate his full attention yet again.
"If I did know him I don't recall, but I feel as though I do," Fate's eyes were on the holograph again, "I feel a tingling in my hand when I see him as if I knew him more than an associate should. You see Iason whether I know him now is not entirely the issue for all I can recall dates back to only a few months ago when I crept out of the rubble in Dana Bahn. That is to say everything else, who I was, people I knew, the things I did; all of it is beyond my recollection.
A pause.
"And this woman Rena where is she now?" he glanced at the holograph in front of him.
"One month ago she disappeared, what you're seeing is her routine prior to her kidnapping. As for who or why I am not certain but they were kind enough to leave a note that stated in Bold cursive letters, the initials B D, which I have later been informed is the name of a malicious lot who responded to the name dead Beats."