"Is this true?"
The student council had asked for the squire, likely in regards to a recent rumor. He shook his head.
"Their speculation..." He answered, his deep voice preached his internal solitude.
"Hm, very well, based on previous events" She looked at his eyes with a little familiarity. "I have a feeling that this is in fact just a false rumor."
She closed her eyes, unconcerned with him for now. "You may leave." She offhandedly waved her hand, as if shooing off an interruptive younger sibling.
"But, before that..." Tristan turned from the door in question. "May I see your hand?"
The door closed behind him, and he was gone.
"A difficult child, isn't he Tsubaki?"
"Yes, indeed."
Alongside the Sleeper, Tristan was appropriately named the "Thug" of the school, with the two seen together with a more dangerous student, known to be the head of a gang of students who enjoy the forceful side of life.
Sleeper turned towards him, about to ask a question, however, there came a knock from the other side of the sliding door. The teacher, an aged man called out "Yes, come in."
A bright pale hand inched through the gap, opening the door. Believing it to be the business of another, thug duo returned their eyes to the measly desks they owned. A short conversation at the front of the class took place, it stopped, and his name was said.
"Oh, Tristan, could you please come with me? It's rather important." He looked to the front, ignoring the glares of the other students, to see Rias' knight, looking nothing like what he is, rather a mere student.
With a short sigh, and a moment of waiting, he placed his hands on his desks and rose height, pushing his chair back. Sleeper caught his sight for a second, an amused look on his face, before proceeding from the back of the room towards the front, where the patient devil stood with his typical eye-smile.
"Be sure to take him back when you're done with him, Kiba." Teacher's voice was soft, befitting of his appearance.
"Of course, teacher." As if it was normality, Kiba waved it off. The two proceeded two the room's sliding door.
In the mind of Tristan, a strange farewell was made known.
"Farewell. Comrade...haha." A strange thought, the purpose of which escaped him.
Closing the sliding doors from the other side, Kiba walked down the building's stairs, keeping his eyes forward. "You know, you seem to have caused a stir, in the Underworld..." Once he was sure no other students were within earshot.
A grunt was his answer, from a squire who always looked towards the floor, an instinct that spared him many unsightly stares, even when there was in fact no others in the area.
"With your power, I mean, your lightning is something very few devils have ever seen, to defeat a devil with only a touch..." Kiba started in his explanation.
"I also didn't know that Lordran has dominion on animals, those were your summons right? Those wolves..." But yet another grunt. This conversation was of little importance.
"Rias wants to see you for something, I'm not sure what of, though." Kiba said.
Yet his chance for conversation perished with the existence of a 'hm' of acknowledgement.
"This might take some time, eheh." Tristan had barely the slightest idea of what he mused on about.
"Thank you Kiba." Rias sat at her king's desk , clasped hands covered the lower half of her face, members of her peerage sat in the couches of the room. Kiba smiled again.
"Now, Tristan, I'm sure Kiba has told you that the Underworld, the nobles at least, are in confusion of your abilites in the last rating game. Again, thank you for your participation."
"Well, what is it?" Tristan asked, "What do they want with me?" Rias sighed slightly, before sharing a piece of information.
"Nothing yet, but someone from the house of Phenex wants to see you, it's about Riser's condition..."
Ahh, the filth, if his flames suffered a sickness due to his intervention, then justice has been partially served.
He hadn't been completely eradicated.
The squire laughed grimly and lowly, turning his eyes from Rias towards the pristine carpet. Rias ignored the laughter, seeing it as his first event of comfortability being around her. She did want something from him, but that was for another meeting. This meeting was about the life of a devil noble, and if he would continue to live past the week.
He hoped not, otherwise the spear of justice would not have been satiated. It is imperative that it is.
"I'm also curious about your power, your...black fire..." She asked a hidden question.
Her answer was a grunt of disapproval and a shake of the head, meaning 'no, I will not share.' Rias closed her eyes in disappointment, Akeno breathed the disappointment out, she was curious if she was able to use the fire, if she could put people in pain like that...well.
"Very well. Ravel. You can come in now." Rias' voice heightened, and a door leading into the building opened slowly, revealing a girl in a pink dress, with her hair done in a long twin p-tails at opposite ends. Rias pointed at the squire, with closed eyes.
"This is him." To which the new girl looked at his back, the slightly turned head, and by extent his empty black eyes. She felt the internal pain the seethed off him.
But she was here for another reason.
"Um..." Ravel was truly in fear, she saw her bedridden brother Riser's fire twisted into a corrupt black flame. If this person could force Riser into such a state of pain, then if she used a poor choice of words now, she would likely suffer a similar fate, and would not be able to do anything about it.
The devils could not afford another war with Heaven and Lordran. Not with how effective Lordran is at exterminating the devils.
So the only thing she could do to save her brother, would be to beg for him, to forgive whatever it is that Riser did for him to go to such lengths as to put him in continuous pain, only for him to get worse with each passing day.
She teared up, pleading for her brother's life. She did not even bother to wipe her eyes, in fear of the squire in front of her. She swallowed her pride as a member of the seventy-two pillars.
"Please...forgive my brother's foolish actions. He's been sick, and..." She took a deep breath, and a chance, if the following words were chosen poorly, then her fate would be similar to Riser's.
"I know that you did something, with your dark fire, and...and his fire is black as well!" She dared to look at those empty eyes again, in a momentary increase of will, yet barely a second later, she returned her eyes back to the floor.
If his fire is black then he is suffering...very nice. But Tristan was ordered not to incite a war by the lord of sunlight himself, so he would save his life.
It would by no means come easy to filth like Riser. He would have to wallow in despair, like the rest of us. Even if only for a short time.
The squire laughed grimly, at a mental image of the filth in pain. The devils could only frown, not even Akeno would go to such lengths in to enjoy a person in pain. Ravel sniffed, mimicking a crying child.
Tristan turned his head further, to properly eye her pathetic form, almost prostrating.
"Fine." Once again, the deep voice preached pain. Ravel's eyes widened at the floor once she heard the answer.
"But, only if he can defeat me in a fight. Then I will fix him, any time he wants." Tristan held back another twisted laughter. Riser was weak, and duel would humiliate him greatly.
Ravel had apparently forgotten her brother's pathetic state, restricted to his huge bed. The only common actions were his sickly fits of coughing, the fading of his pigmentation, and the eyes that went empty for moments at a time, which spelt of death in the near future.
She brightened up, eyes momentarily clearing, to make way for bubbling tears of relief. She would realise despair and the end of hope only when she set her eyes on her brother once more.
"Thank you." She wiped her eyes, thankful for the glimmer of hope he had so graciously provided.
Now all that remains is for her brother to defeat this peasant...
"Well, thank you Rias'. I will leave now." She waved her hand, having finished with her crying. A small teleport circle came to life below her. When the circle disappeared, so did the Phenex.
Rias stared at the spot that Ravel once stood in from the corner of her eyes. She escaped the distraction, remembering another thing she wanted from the lad.
"Another thing, Tristan." He turned himself towards her, previously cutting a deal with Ravel.
"There were many devils watching that rating game, I wouldn't be surprised if someone came after you, intent on taking your strength into their own peerages." Rias' answer was a rising and lowering of the head, a motion of agreement.
"So, I offer you a deal." On the inside, Rias was alight with anticipation at the thought of such a strong individual in her own peerage.
"In exchange for your turning into a devil, we will protect you from the devils who seek to steal abduct you for theirselves...so how about it?" She finished with closed eyes, hoping for the best.
When Rias opened her eyes after only a moment, she saw Tristan's downcast face turning to the sides repeatedly. He did in fact not want to be a devil.
"Very well then, if you change your mind, come and see me again. Unless you want to talk about something? You know it's important to talk to people, instead of just always keeping to yourself. " She slumped slightly at his silent decline. Tristan rose slightly, the cause of which was a scoff.
Such a dream could not be so easily acquired, there was obviously a catch involved, should he choose to remain here.
"You are welcome here anytime..." Rias took a look at the hand at his side. Saving the discussion for later, she instead sent him off.
"Kiba, can you walk him back to class? I'm sure his teacher expects him to be back by now." The King placed her eyes to her knight. Who opened the door with a look to the squire's rather tall form.
"Of course, president...come on Tristan, let's get you back to class. You're teacher might be mad you know...he-" The main doors closed, and his voice became muffled from the other side of the building.
Rias looked to her long-time friend.
"That was such a letdown, Rias, I thought for sure that any boy would want to be part of our club." Akeno spoke Rias' thoughts.
"Yes, if he was part of our peerage, I doubt we'd be beaten." A silent Koneko put in. Once Rias remained silent for a while, Akeno inquired the reason.
"Rias, are you alright? You seem tired." The queen asked. Rias snapped out of her thoughts.
"Yes, I'm alright, I was just...thinking about something, that's all." She really was thinking, when would the match between the squire and Riser happen, where? The same place as the rating game? In the underworld perhaps? Rias doubted her last question, but it had to be asked.
Would Riser be fighting alongside his peerage?
Whatever the answer to those questions were, the answer to each will be discovered within the week.
But a more important question needed to be asked. If Riser is as sick as Ravel said he is, than would he even be able to make an appearance to the fight? Or would he demand him to put a stop to his 'peasantly' antics, like he usually would?
Well for sure, if he would fight in his deathly sick form, he would have to perform a great action.
He must become a bass canon and git gud quickly if he hopes to fight alone against the one who inflicted the sickness upon him.
Yet, the most important of all questions hadn't been answered as of yet...
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The school day had finished, the squire had decided to make a stop at the European's restaurant, eager to satisfy his animal friend, fearing that he might have done something to sadden her.
"OH MY BOY! HAW ARE YOU DOING!" The almost-elderly man boomed, excited on seeing his favourite boy. "Would you like ze usual?" He seemed to calm down.
"Well...yes, I will take the usual, thank you as always, old man." He answered both questions.
With jovial laughter, the big man turned towards the back towards the counter, muttering something his true age of 'fifty-five'. He was left with the French 'ami', who's soft face reminded him of the sight of royal lady Gwnevere.
"Turistaan." She still had troubles with her accent, but that was a welcome change. He looked up to her, from her elevated height behind the taller counter.
"Mon father thinks you are a strong boy, and would like me to enroll in the school you are going to, so that you would help me if anyone is being mean to me."(Mon is 'my', in French) She was truly curious about his answer. Because he was as much friends with her as he was with Sleeper, Tristan gave her insight.
"...That school...if you choose to go there, then I will help you if anyone does. I would not want to disappoint your father." His lowly deep voice strung together.
"...There are a few people who like to peep on the girls, if you're alright with that." This had to be the most amount of words he pulled together since he had left the land of Lordran for this mission.
"I will stay with toi as long as I can, ami." (You and friend in French). She smiled once more at his agreeing nods.
"HERE YOU ARE!" The almost-elderly grandfather placed the foam container on the counter, before witnessing the pile of gathered coins on the counter, after which, he gently held the box towards him. He recieved it with his right, as his left held a suitcase.
"Thank you, goodbye now...you two." The man waved, the girl smiled as always.
"FAREWELL!" His voice was raspy as always, he truly was getting old.
"Au revoir, ami" (Bye in French) She waved to the sliver of his turned face, the sliver of which his eye looked at them in farewell. The two returned serving a patient customer.
But, depending on the events that will occur from the restaurant and the small apartment, Eria may not receive the gift that begged forgiveness this day, as there was a twin-tailed cat that shadowed him.
Ayy, if you enjoyed, then be sure to review, and those other things.
Be sure to point out any grammar/spelling mistakes btw.