NMHA Ch. 18 - Into the Unknown
A/N - Made some adjustments to the second part of the chapter. I'd give it another read if you read the chapter before 4/21.
Lunarunn Bael found herself at that coffee table again, staring down Diodora after he managed to extricate her from that pile of books against her will.
Then again, considering she'd technically threatened to mar a number of priceless writings... maybe the firmness with which he bodily threw her out of the aisle and onto her ass wasn't unwarranted?
She still wasn't quite sure what to make of him. While the fact did stand that the Diodora she knew was an unrepentant monster, she couldn't help but admit that if he was masking his intent, it was a flawless act.
Ruval's words still warned her against letting her guard down entirely, but after a little bit of time to think, perhaps she was being completely unreasonable with the Astaroth heir.
But even so, there was still a certain reason that Luna had her hackles raised around him.
...No, she would rather not even consider it.
Even if it meant judging him far harsher than he deserved based on the actions she had seen from him firsthand, Luna refused to even broach the topic.
The teal-haired Devil shifted, drawing the brunette's attention away from her own thoughts as he set one of the books that Luna had decided to bring with her onto the table, sliding it across with a gentle push.
"Going straight for Ajuka's old works?" Diodora's lips parted to show a bit of teeth in his grin. "Considering how he turned you out last week, should I be concerned for my cousin's sake?"
"I don't plan on talking to that particular Maou any time soon," Luna lifted her thumb to her nose and swiped it across, literally thumbing her nose at the prospect. "But I have been learning a lot from him, and I don't see any reason to hobble my expanding knowledge in magic just because I'm feuding with him."
A slow nod. "Intending on having your cake and eating it too. To some extent, at least."
That got Lunarunn rolling her eyes. "Ideally, I'd start going over stuff with Mephisto instead. But considering his... self-imposed exile from Devil society, I have little reason to think I'll get anywhere near that lucky."
Diodora's brow lifted, even as his chest started rumbling with contained laughter. "You really don't settle for halfway measures or teachers, do you?"
"I used to, but I don't exactly have the luxury for that these days." The brunette's gaze slid down to the book that Ajuka had penned ages ago. "I... I have to aim high, and work for the greatest outcome in everything I do, or else I'm gonna end up in someone's Peerage because I caved to the pressure... or worse."
The expression of the Astaroth heir firmed as he gave another nod. "You're currently in freefall and need to learn to fly before the snakes from below catch you and devour you whole."
"You're not exactly helping the argument that you aren't in my head."
"What can I say? Great minds think alike."
"Sure, go ahead with that defense. Smartass." Lunarunn snorted, but she noted it was with a little less heat than her prior ire toward the teal-haired Devil. "Why not go for the 'we aren't so different you and I' quote too, to really drive home the point?"
Diodora's chuckling returned, audibly this time. "Because for one: that would be cliche as all get-out, and two: I'm so much more open-minded than you are that calling us similar would be disingenuous."
That got the Worldweaver scowling. "Hey, I like to think I'm pretty open-minded."
The only response she got was a lifted finger, pointing at Diodora's face.
"If you've experienced what I have, you'd be the same way."
"So you're using prior experiences with terrible people similar to me to justify your hostility even now?" The Astaroth heir tutted, shaking his head and raising his hands in a shrugging gesture. "You only serve to validate my response."
"At least I'm not a smartass like you seem to be."
The grin returned as he pointed back. "Better a smartass than a stubborn bitch."
"Ex-cuse me?" Luna's eyes widened and her nostrils flared in outrage. "Remind me who invited whom to their house because they want to be 'friends' despite the hateboner the other has for them? That's pretty damn stubborn if you ask me!"
Diodora's grin widened. "You aren't denying being a stubborn bitch though."
"I know who I am." The brunette closed her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms beneath her bust as she stuck her nose up in the air.
The Astaroth heir started laughing at that. A part of Luna's mind that wasn't busy trying to hate him noted that it was a good laugh, quiet but full.
Once his laughter died down, the heir shook his head amusedly. "Can't exactly argue with that if you admit it yourself."
"I like to subvert expectations."
"Expectations subverted then!" Another chuckle before Diodora's expression grew serious once more. "But onto other matters. You remember what I was talking about before you stormed off at the gala?"
Luna's expression dropped back into a sharp scowl. "Yeah, I remember. Going on about a revolution of sorts. Causing change, eliciting chaos."
"Chaos is a harsh way to put it," Diodora hedged. "But you aren't necessarily wrong. I did say before that I feel like we as a species have stagnated."
"And so you want me to help you with whatever scheme you have planned, and be the face of whatever change you want to bring about." Luna leaned in and tilted her head slightly, expression becoming deadpan as she propped herself up by her elbows on her knees. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I already know how much my appearance is stirring the populace, at least on the upper levels."
The Astaroth heir nodded once. "I never implied you were. Though perhaps not the most well-informed. Ever heard of the phrase 'still waters run deep'? For the commoners, a similar phrase is rather fitting: 'deep waters are oft still'."
When Luna shot him a look but didn't otherwise reply, Diodora took it as a gesture to continue. "You might be a new face, a new celebrity that causes a bit of a stir, but for most people you're only going to get that five minutes of fame before you're put next to all the other celebrity faces as just that - another face."
"So... what, you're asking me to join you now to bolster my own rep while lending weight to your agenda of anarchy?"
"That's a dishonest way to put it." Diodora opened one eye. "Lawlessness and chaos aren't my end goal. Reasonable, goal-driven change is. To start walking again, after being stuck in place since the civil war. We may have needed time to get back up on our feet as a species, but that time has since passed."
"Considering just how many microaggressions and cultural expectations there are for women as opposed to men, I suppose I can see where you're coming from there." She would at least admit that, even if the brunette was disinclined to agree with Diodora.
He nodded once, leaning back in and resting his elbows on his knees before continuing. "I won't lie when I say that I would like you to help me help others understand how unevenly our race has developed. I think you're in a unique position to understand the nuance Devils from other cultures overlook, and be able to garner some real pull. Everyone else is so dead-set on making things great 'again' that they don't understand that we don't have to make ourselves 'great again'. We can make ourselves better than what the old guard seem to look so nostalgically on. As a society, we should."
"Now look who's being disingenuous?" Luna shot back. "I have no doubt most people know, but either don't care or don't care enough."
"I think that's part of the problem." The Astaroth heir took a moment to pour himself some juice from the pitcher and take a quick drink. He started speaking again the moment the glass left his lips. "Complacency, apathy, and a growing disregard for anything beyond your own life and how it affects you. Yes, we are instinctual creatures. Yes, even more than humans we must indulge in our instinctual needs. We as a race are inherently hierarchical, so the human ideal of 'utopia', where everyone has an equal say and nobody need fear what a stranger may do, is something that we as Devils will never achieve."
Luna watched him drink, then listened, perhaps more intently than she meant to, but he raised a valid point. Still... "I think you're getting a little off topic. You're trying to convince me why I should join your little grassworks movement, remember?"
"Patience is a virtue, and one I'm sure you'll need plenty of going forward."
"Smartass."
The teal-haired Underworlder shook his head with an amused snort. "I'm explaining my line of reasoning, Luna, and I would much rather not miss anything important."
At her silence, Diodora took the opportunity to expound on said reasoning. "Ironically, the monarchical utopia that our greatest enemy provides in Heaven was the same kind of society us Devils can most easily ascribe to. But at the same time, a locked system means a locked culture, a locked culture means stagnancy, and even if civilization itself is built on the foundation of wilderness in order to surpass it one truth remains unchanged: being incapable or unwilling to evolve is a death sentence."
"You're really trying to drive home the idea that Devil society's stagnated."
"Because it has!" Diodora's eyes both opened, staring Lunarunn down intently. "I know you've been busy trying to become strong, but you're missing perspective. You're pursuing strength so you are able to hold your own in the political arena, so that one day you might snub the Maou the way they did you."
Well... she didn't exactly have that in mind, but Luna supposed that revenge was part of her drive since the gala.
"So what's this about missing perspective? I'd think that as a Reincarnated I would have more."
"At least regarding culture norms, you do, but public perception's way more than just the news feeds." Diodora leaned back, lifting a hand to tap his cheekbone as he looked upward in thought. "I don't know how often you've gone out since you became a Devil, what with all the attentions the Maou ended up giving you prior to their unveiling of a new bloodline, but you seem rather detached from the pulse of the commoners despite technically being one yourself."
"I don't exactly have time to make friends the usual way."
"No, but that doesn't mean you can't go out into Lilith once every quarter to talk with Devils passing by and get a feel for their reception of recent events."
Luna sighed. No, she hadn't thought of that. What are they going to do about it, anyway? The difference between a common Devil - little more than an enhanced human with a holy and light allergy as far as power goes - and someone like Sirzechs absolutely cannot be understated. Even the difference between a relatively untrained high-class such as Rias and a newly Reincarnated Devil like Issei is like night and day. The light novels certainly did well in showcasing that.
Diodora leaned in again, gaze shifting back to the brunette at her sigh. The hand that had been tapping his cheekbone pointed at her, palm facing up and thumb outward as he tilted his head to the side.
"And there is the crux of the matter. You're disregarding the commoners even now. Perhaps not intentionally, but..."
"Sheeple, more like." The Worldweaver ground out, displeased at the callout that Diodora had just served. "Following whoever speaks the loudest, with only a few actually putting any reasonable thought behind who or what they stand for."
"I think you're generalizing the issue."
'Give it twenty years and I doubt you'll be saying the same.'
"I'm the kind of person who's naturally suspicious of others before they prove they're different from the rest of the crowd. Mob mentality is a hell of a drug, after all."
"Exactly my point. Because people usually act in a similar fashion, you're tarring the 'them' as incompetent, weak, and unable to enact change when you're disregarding what the lowest of us bring to the table."
"So... what you're calling for is a... socialist agenda?"
"Wha- pfffft... ahahahahaha! Of course not!" Diodora actually laughed at that, eyes closing as he held a fist up to his mouth. "It's a smart idea on paper, and it works well for the Angels in practice, but for anyone driven by instinct or desire or any sort of greed it's not gonna work out. Not a chance. No, what I'm getting at is that since Devil society's grown stagnant, everyone is liable to continue that trend. Without someone with connections to the most populous of us, there's no real leverage to get people wondering how we can keep growing.
"But with you...? With a commoner who spontaneously developed a new bloodline, the lowest of us being able to interact with the best of us on our level? It will make them wonder if they could be next if they work make things better for themselves and those around them. In other words... you could be their inspiration to break out of the vice of complacency."
Now it was Luna's turn to lean in, eyes narrowing. "And how would that keep a Super Devil like Sirzechs from just flexing his power and cowing everyone back into line, even if I do agree to join your little 'Khaos Brigade' and successfully unite the commoners into a singular voice?"
His hand lowered to give view of how his grin had taken a predatory edge to it. "Peculiar naming convention for our movement aside, I suppose that'd be another reason why you need to surpass him, isn't it?"
"...So you're suggesting that because the commoners are kept docile and complacent, I try and wrest control of their voice from Serafall as a political weapon?"
"You said it yourself; commoners are oft loathe to strike out on their own. They'll answer to the person who makes them feel happiest and most secure. And right now, Serafall Leviathan has them firmly leashed. But that can change, with the right... actions."
The image of Serafall in a skintight bodysuit and holding a person's leash - or even being leashed herself - briefly caused the brunette's brain to stall.
"Your nose is bleeding, Luna."
"It is?" She wiped her nose, and lo and behold it came away red. "Well shit, you probably shouldn't have put that image in my head then."
"Haha, how crass."
"Shut the fuck up and check your own nose, smartass."
Diodora did so. "Hm? ...Ah, I've made a hypocrite out of myself it seems, hahaha."
"I wonder what Tara would think if I told her about your own lewd thoughts...?"
The way he leaned forward and managed to get sparkles surrounding him mid-air was more than a little unnerving. "Please do. I would be quite happy if she came to me and asked for a walk."
A sexy ex-nun on a leash? This time Luna was prepared and managed to get away with only flushed cheeks rather than an outright nosebleed from the spike in blood pressure. "Okay, so... one: I'm not gonna lie, that's pretty hot, and two: now I'm not going to."
The sparkles faded, and Diodora leaned back with the back of his hand to his forehead. "Ahhhh, how petty of you, Miss Bael, and here I've been nothing but the consummate host."
"Well, you did throw me out of a library section onto my ass. Literally."
"That was justified and you know it."
The rest of their meeting was relatively uneventful, Luna warily testing the waters while Diodora worked at bringing her around to the idea of joining him in re-energizing the common Devils for clout and change. Ultimately, she came to a conclusion.
Lunarunn lifted her fingers and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, Diodora. I'm still really wary of you, even if you've made your points regarding both that and getting the commoners on 'our' supposed team. I'm going to need more time to think about it all."
"I understand." Diodora's usual expression had long since returned, though the brunette could see how his lips twitched upward. "It's a big commitment to make, and a larger one still considering your prior experiences. The fact that you're willing to sit down and think everything over instead of blindly agreeing or refusing reaffirms that it was a good idea to reach out to you despite the hostilities."
Plus it gave Luna a chance to shift canon even further from its intended course. If she did decide to join the Khaos Brigade in its formative steps - 'and who would have thought that the true founder was Diodora?' - that would give her an amazing amount of leverage going forward, especially since she had a real chance of getting into Ophis's good graces and turning her against the likes of Rizevim or the OSF before they tried abusing her power.
And potentially take a powerup through one of her Snakes as well, though Luna had little intention of relying on it like Diodora would come to do. Or... had come to do in canon? Still, she wasn't going to turn down a font of power like that if it was offered in good grace, though Luna was going to make sure that they were on good terms before even thinking about accepting.
She had little intention of accepting a gift that came with strings attached like the Ouroboros Dragon's usual booster snake does.
A movement from in front of her snapped Luna out of her thoughts, noting how Diodora had picked up the tome that Luna had most specifically taken, that by Ajuka, and studying it closely. After a few seconds of contemplative frowning, his smile returned and he held out the book to Luna.
"Take it."
"Eh?" The brunette blinked, unsure of what to make of Diodora's statement. "I thought I was just going to read what I could before putting it back away?"
"I have kept you long enough. You said it yourself; you don't exactly have time to waste as you are now." The Astaroth heir's head tilted briefly to the side, showing a brief flash of teeth in his smile. "I get that to most this would seem like a declaration of intent, especially if it were gifted in a public setting, but here and now I mean it as a peace offering. I think we could be good friends; initial tensions aside I quite enjoyed our shared time. But for now I'd be happy if you're willing to even be a reluctant acquaintance."
She looked down at the tome, hand-crafted by the smartest Devil in history, and the teal-haired Devil who was giving his cousin's likely priceless old, personal magic notes away as a... peace offering? An attempt to cozy up to her? An aid to getting back at Ajuka for fucking her over?
Was he planning something she wasn't catching on to?
...Or was she overthinking things, and this was as genuine and generous a gift as it appeared on the surface?
Lunarunn sighed, and reached out to take the book, holding it gently as she looked between it and Diodora. "Alright. If you're offering this without any strings attached, then I'll accept your gift."
"Truly magnanimous of you." One side of the Astaroth's grin twitched upward.
"Smartass." The brunette looked between the two objects that had her attention again, before shaking her head. "...Thank you. I'll be sure to take good care of it."
"Between that and keeping an open mind, I can't ask for anything more."
After Lunarunn vanished through the teleportation seal that Diodora had drawn up for her back at the entrance hall of the Astaroth estate, the Astaroth heir heaved out a long sigh, scratching the side of his head.
"That... was a lot more difficult than I had expected."
"I think you put it best, my King. She is the willful kind. A 'stubborn bitch', even."
Diodora turned around to see Tara stepping out from behind one of the pillars, dusting herself off as though wiping the last traces of the invisibility glamour she'd been wearing while she had been listening in. His smile widened, turning to face where the brunette had left.
"She is. Arrogant, if not intentionally, hot-headed, crass, and stubborn to a fault as she is now. But those can be tempered. Even now, I can see the confidence she might one day carry herself with, the decisiveness, and the unrelenting will to stand by her beliefs, and she already knows how to bend when necessary."
His eyes opened slightly. "I couldn't ask for a better individual to be the face for the revolution."
"Are you still so intent on not calling it the 'Khaos Brigade'?" Tara sighed, shaking her head.
"We already went over this Tara, that's a terrible name for a movement, it sounds villainous and ominous."
"But it sounds cool! And we're Devils, we may as well own up to the 'evil' gimmick everyone else gave us!"
Somehow, Diodora managed to deadpan with closed eyes and a smile. "It sounds like the sort of antagonistic organization that you'd see in cartoons, and we don't plan on having this whole thing be only for Devils."
"Mmmmmmmmm... eek!"
"Don't pout. You know I'm right." The Astaroth heir took note of Tara's puffed-out cheeks and broke her out of her pout with a quick step and a spank. One that the ex-nun clearly enjoyed, given how her cheeks had turned red. "Now, why don't we shelf that and take this someplace more fitting?"
"I-uh... uh... I-if you insist. B-by the way, I thought I heard something about leashes...?"
"Thanks for coming by. I know your duties as Heiress of the Valac Barony's probably keeping you busy."
"It is quite alright, thank you. I do have obligations to tend to, but most of them revolve around my lessons in how to handle the minutiae of my house. I'm not the head just yet, after all."
Lunarunn Bael lifted a glass of juice to her lips, taking a long drink before setting it down, next to the paper that Jaspal Valac had pushed across the table to her earlier, regarding the specifics of their alliance. Much like she had sat down with Diodora, Luna had extended a similar invitation to Jaspal Valac. It was a mild surprise that Jaspal took her up on her invite so fast, at least until she mentioned it.
(The svelte ravenette's lips twitched upward. "I told you, did I now? I know a diamond in the rough when I see one, and now we will see how much of that shine comes through now that you're under pressure.")
Her eyes had been rather cold, though. As though Luna were an enemy. Did something happen...?
"Then I take it your job primarily consists of building connections?"
"But of course. When we all have so much to gain by working together, why go it alone?" Jaspal set a hand on the table, then started tracing circles with her finger. "You stand to gain much, given your position. Everything to gain, everything to lose, and you seem like the sort of person who loathes the latter."
Well, she wasn't wrong. "It still is rather surprising how eager you were in replying to my invitation. To discuss merely the foundations of an alliance going forward."
Jaspal tutted. "I think decisive would be a better term. The Maou may have cut you loose with their little game at the gala, but you've done remarkably well regardless of the loss of support."
Luna fought the urge to glance in the direction of her room, where all those unopened letters from the other nobles remained.
"Could have fooled me."
"There is always room for improvement, and you have caused quite the stir regardless. You might yet come to see how many others would have fallen to pieces already." The Valac heiress smiled. Like before, it failed to reach her eyes, which remained chilly. "If I fail to make my move now, then when would a better time be?"
"Taking advantage of my free-fall to ingratiate yourself to me? That's rather low, don't you think?" The brunette's eyes slid shut. "Besides, I'm just a commoner. I have no Pillar influence nor protection, save that offered by the Declaration of Intent Ruval gave me."
Her eyes opened again, flat and dark. "To be quite honest, I believe the only reason I haven't yet been molested by some upstart looking to improve the blood of his lineage is because I threatened to kill anyone who tried anything of the sort with me. If anything, I'd expect you to try and gang-press me into joining your Peerage in return for your support."
"I know better than to force my hand," Jaspal reassured Luna. "I know that you are the sort of person who does not like being talked down on, nor patronized unless you feel it necessary. As far as I'm concerned, you and I are on the same level."
"Coming to me as an equal then, rather than as a potential superior. Interesting stratagem."
And one that, considering Ruval and Diodora, works a lot better with her than the letters piling up in the corner of her bedroom.
"Business and political relations have much in common," the ravenette's smile widened. "Approach someone looking to get ahead, and work with them rather than making them work for you, and they will be more inclined to allow you the share of their labors as well."
"So this is strictly business for you?"
Luna's tone was light. Jaspal's smile dropped and her eyes chilled further. "Well... it is at least in part. The Valacs may be a Pillar, but we're among the lowest Pillars, and if the Great Houses begin to prune the ranks by any point the Valacs would be among the first stripped of their status."
"It's not terrible being a commoner, you know."
Something flickered in the ravenette's gaze, different from the general coldness that had been there before. It was fast, but Luna recognized the emotion.
"You say that, yet you don't quite get the... circumstances commoners can find themselves in," the Valac hedged, looking away briefly before meeting Luna's gaze again. "Devils are treated with equal respect in the eyes of the law, but to those in power, it can be... easy, to convince those eyes to look the other way. Whether it be for a second, a minute, and hour, days, or years.'
"Bribery?"
Jaspal frowned, but nodded, prompting the brunette to sigh. "Can't say I'm surprised. Humans do the same thing too. Oh, it's never really touched on, and elitist schemes like that rarely come to light unless someone screws the pooch as far as leaking information goes, so for a race more... instinctively inclined..."
The way the Valac heiress glanced away, arms crossed and held tightly to her stomach, and Luna wondered if there really was something like that going on.
Then Luna remembered. These are Devils, and Devils will be Devils will be Devils. She had little doubt that there wasn't some sort of elitist scheme or a half-dozen in the high class.
"I... I can't say you're wrong there," Jaspal admitted, lips pursing as her brows drew together in a furrow. "I cannot exactly go into detail, but I've... heard some questionable things from father regarding the elite society."
"Can't, or won't?"
"If I could share more, I would." The ravenette shook her head, off-red eyes dulling slightly.
Lunarunn almost said something, but decided to give Jaspal the opportunity to come to her own words.
"...Hey, Luna." Jaspal looked up. "Do you know what it's like to be in a noble family?"
The Worldweaver blinked at the sudden tangent, but shook her head. "American before I bit it, and a commoner there too."
The Valac heiress breathed slowly out, looking away once more with an expression of distaste before clearing it for a more solemn expression. "Then you don't really understand how high-class society works, do you?"
"I know the basics. Marriages are considered tying bonds of convenience, oft at the expense of the individuals involved," Luna replied, lifting a hand to scratch the side of her neck, tilting her head to the side to do so. "The laws of commoners are more often just guidelines to the particularly rich and powerful, because so long as they don't do something beyond the pale usually they can hand-wave their wrongdoings away with influence or cash."
"Hm? Yes... that's a good starting point, at least." Jaspal sighed. "Commoner or no, your bloodline means you are going to be more or less a noble in your own right. I'm surprised you haven't received an Evil Piece set yet, actually. As the head of your yet-unnamed house you are entitled to all the benefits a High-class Devil possesses. And considering the raw potential of your power... you may well end up being on the same level of political acumen as your typical Marquise Pillar. You can pick up on the rest, as long as you're aware of that."
'Huh? Really?'
Luna blinked. She figured that she would need to at least prove herself as strong as a High-Class Devil or even Peerage to get promoted...
Though now that she was thinking about it, why was she so focused on individual strength when she might be able to make enough alliances for pull of her own?
It was a little concerning her lack of forethought in that matter, but the Valac heiress was clearly waiting for her response.
"I... was not made aware of this," Luna admitted. "At least, nobody told me. Whether that's because they thought I already knew or that it was a given I'm not sure, but even so I'm just learning now."
Jaspal nodded, then scowled as she looked away again.
"...Why you...?"
The ravenette didn't realize that she'd murmured that loud enough for the brunette to pick up on, but it made Luna herself start to wonder...
"...Jaspal, why are you here?"
"Hm?" The topic change caused Jaspal to look back at her, an expression of confusion on her face. "To talk with a friend who invited me."
"Are we, though?"
"Friends?" Her brow furrowed.
"Yeah."
"I was under the impression that we were."
"Then why go and talk about this all as if it's just another business proposition?"
Jaspal's expression twisted to something of a wary confusion. "...What do you mean, exactly?"
"I mean this." Luna tapped the paper in front of her. "If we're really friends, then why have a paper documenting what you expect from me and vice-versa?"
"Peace of mind."
"If it's for peace of mind, then why do you seem so... uneasy, right now?"
"Because..." The ravenette trailed off, a tired and resigned frustration leaking into her tone. "...Ugh. Just forget it."
"No." The single word made Jaspal's gaze shoot back to Lunarunn, widening briefly. "There's something bothering you, and this paper's got a lot to do with it."
The brunette pushed the paper forward with a single finger, brow furrowing as she kept her gaze on Jaspal. "Any relationship starts with honesty, business or otherwise. After getting screwed over by Ajuka and Sirzechs, it's even more important to me now that be wholly true."
The Valac heiress remained silent, looking away again with a dark, ponderous expression on her face.
"Did your father or whoever your head of house is put you up to the business deal aspect?"
Jaspal didn't say anything, but the way her head dipped a little lower was telling.
"Were you threatened with some sort of punishment if you didn't come back with definitive proof that I'm willing to ally myself with the Valacs?"
"...Maybe."
'Ugh, fuck.'
"How bad?"
The ravenette didn't say anything.
"Did they threaten to hit you?"
That got Jaspal looking back up, aghast. "No! Father may not be a kind man, but he has never raised his hand at me either."
"Alright, I get it. I apologize for the insult to your father." As the Valac's hackles started to lower a bit, Luna continued. "I'm just trying to figure out what the problem here is. Your being so hesitant about just telling me what's wrong means I have to make guesses."
She fell silent again, waiting for the other Devil across the table to speak again before she said anything more.
The clock ticked. Thirty seconds passed. Then, a minute.
Finally, Luna decided to add something else. "...Whatever the problem may be, I want to know. I want to be able to help. I understand it might be difficult to want to say something, but doesn't that mean it's all the more important to say? Whatever it is, I swear I will hear it with an open mind and heart."
Silence, again, as Lunarunn let the Valac heiress mull over her words.
"...Why you?"
The sullen voice that Jaspal spoke with snapped Luna out of her thoughts, the two locking eyes again.
"Why you?" She repeated, voice growing a little more heated.
Luna frowned, leaning back in her chair, though her gaze didn't lose any of its sincerity. She wouldn't say anything. Not yet.
"Why do you have to be the one who's getting all the attention? I've been bending over backwards to make the Valacs worth something more, and then here you come with a fancy new bloodline and suddenly the whole world revolves around you!" Finally, the frustration that had been bubbling before was finally being aired. "Ruval Phenex, probably the most eligible bachelor in the entire Underworld, he hardly even knew you, but ended up giving you a Declaration of Intent, and his first one at that! You're going straight to the political level of a Marquis, just because you ended up coming prepackaged with pretty sequins and an all-new bloodline! Meanwhile, I've poured my sweat, my blood, my soul into making my Pillar better than what it was and have gotten nothing, nothing!"
She leaned forward, off-red eyes smoldering, teeth grit tight. "And to make matters worse, your appearance has made father practically jump at the bit for marriage contracts! If I don't do something to secure our future I'm gonna be sold off like so much fucking livestock! Commoners don't deserve that bull, and I'm a noble, so how is it that my own family is treating me worse than either? All because you ended up going to that damnable gala! How is that fair? How is any of that fair!?"
Luna's eyes closed, and she let out a slow exhale. That... that was a lot. But the brunette couldn't blame her. Still... she needed to know something, at least.
"...Do you hate me because of my bloodline?"
The Worldweaver couldn't see with her eyes shut, but she heard shuffling as Jaspal shifted in her seat.
"...I want to," the ravenette admitted, the fire draining out of her voice and leaving only tiredness. "By the Morningstar do I want to. But I'm better than that. I have to be."
Luna's gaze returned. "I didn't ask for this."
"I know, and it only makes matters fucking worse!" Jaspal snapped again, before she finally caught herself and bowed her head.
"...It's alright. I can't exactly be mad at you for shouting at me when I would do the exact same."
Jaspal's posture relaxed at the forgiveness Luna gave her unspoken apology, closing her own eyes. "I can't stand it. That I have every reason to want to hate you, but don't have a reason to actually do so. If it wasn't for that damned bloodline I wouldn't even have these thoughts. But when I look at you... I see everything you've gained from it, and... the unfairness of it all makes my chest roil. Especially since... well. I'll be expected to bear heirs one day, and it's looking more and more likely that... it'll be in an arranged marriage."
"I'm not free from that either," Lunarunn's voice was quiet. "In fact, I'd say I'm even more at risk because of my bloodline being so new."
"And that's... part of why I can't hate you. Because even if I were in your shoes, and my family is satisfied as a result... that doesn't mean you're not doing any better than I am." Jaspal looked down, shaking her head slowly as she clasped her hands together beneath the table. "Yet... I still want to. I can feel my Sin screaming at me to scream at you, to make you hurt for having everything I want, everything I need, through no consequence of your own."
And the fact that even someone like Jaspal, someone who Luna could see was a witty and intelligent woman, even she was pinned in the trappings of Devil society... that really stuck out to the brunette.
Was this what Diodora meant when he said that everyone else seemed so caught in complacency?
Was this what she had stood to support, if Luna had refused outright to aid the Astaroth heir in making things better?
No.
Fuck that.
Fuck that!
She stood. "I'll be back in about ten minutes. Stay where you are."
The ravenette looked at her, then nodded once, looking down at the table.
In a kinder voice, Luna added: "...Feel free to help yourself to some juice if you want something to drink."
Another nod, though this one went unnoticed as the brunette walked calmly, calmly, out of the dining hall, hands clenching and unclenching rapidly.
Lunarunn was glad that she'd managed to get to the training grounds when she did.
She wasn't sure just how much longer she would have been able to stave off the indignant, justified flames that had lit up inside of her when she learned how even someone like Jaspal was screwed over by the system.
Even if she had her own prejudices against commoners, learned as they seemed to be, that didn't mean Jaspal should be treated with any less respect.
Where was the fairness? Where was the rightness to be ground to nothing because you just weren't good enough to be given notice?
There was none. None that she could see.
As the brunette's screech echoed out of the open-roofed training hall, the sky above her ignited into a great conflagration, air turning to fire as Luna vented the burning in her chest.
The analytical part of her noted that the paparazzi might have quite a show from where they were squatting around the house.
But right now, she couldn't care any less.
Finally, her flare began to settle, leaving behind a shimmering view of the empty air as the heat dispersed outward. Any clouds that had been in the air to begin with had long since been pushed away.
What was left inside of Luna was a simmering heat, and with it a clear idea of what she had to do next.
Wrath is a double-edged sword. It needs to be tempered, and wielded rightly, or else Luna would find herself impaled on it.
Right now, she could almost feel herself holding onto it, that fire within her. Fueling her, and giving her purpose.
Lunarunn Bael would see that the righteous fury currently simmering inside her would go to good use.
"Sorry. I just... needed to get that off my chest."
"It's... it's fine.
Luna sat back down, to see how Jaspal was fidgeting nervously now, pointedly not meeting her eyes.
"...Is there a problem?"
"I... could feel it."
"Feel what?"
"Your anger. Your indignation. Your fury. Your heat. Your passion. All because of me."
"...Not because of you. Because I didn't see as well as I do now just what I'm a part of."
Jaspal said nothing, but she kept her gaze away from Lunarunn.
'Time to nip that in the bud.'
Lunarunn stood again, and walked up to the Valac heiress to set her hands on each shoulder. She stiffened at the touch.
She tilted her head and spoke. "Hey. Jaspal, look at me."
And so she did, looking up at Luna with a gaze filled with emotions running the gamut.
"I'm not angry at you. I'm angry for you." Before the other woman could speak up, she cut her off. "Don't argue with me right now, let me say my piece. I knew that Devil culture is still pretty antiquated compared to humans, but this is... beyond the pale. The thought that someone witty and clever as you showed you can be back at the gala has to accept that she most likely was going to be sold as livestock disgusts me. No, that's not quite right; it sickens me."
"That's... that's just how Devil culture is, though. High class culture. If you get lucky, you end up with someone you can come to care for. If not... then you just do what you can."
And the words cut deep, fueling the pyre in Luna's own chest with their chill.
"That standard needs to go. You said you wanted to make an alliance while you still can, right? I've already been thinking about the sorts of things the Valacs could help me, and if having someone striving for the top of the power chain as an ally would help maintain the legitimacy of the Valacs then that's a reasoning I can easily accept and support." She sighed, glancing to the side before returning her gaze to Jaspal.
The grip on her shoulders tightened, firm instead of soft now, but no less gentle. "I wasn't upset about you wanting to preserve and increase your house's standing, or even that your father wanted an alliance put into parchment. I called you out because if ours is to be a real partnership, there can't be any lies between us. Like I said before, I already got royally screwed over once. I don't want to do it to someone else, and I don't want it to happen again.
"If we're going to have an alliance, then let's do it by standing side by side. By working for each other, rather than with."
Luna smiled fiercely. "And if your dad still wants you to continue the Valac line to the point of a marriage contract... you said I should be getting an Evil Piece set soon, right?"
"Yes, but-" Her eyes widened at the implication, and her cheeks lit up. "W-wait, what?"
"As it so happens, I'm in a declaration of intent with one of the most eligible bachelors in the Underworld. If it does turn out that we marry, then I can imagine that having you as a Pawn in my Peerage would open... avenues, in which you might be able to become one of Ruval's consorts. I could perhaps even make us a package deal."
"Y-you would do that? For someone who cannot even really fight to begin with?"
"You wouldn't need to fight." Lunarunn's smile split into a full grin as she lifted a finger to her face, tapping the side of her eye. "You can see hidden treasures, right? Well, repurpose that sixth sense and I think you might be one of the best training, terrain, and combat analysts the Rating Game has ever seen. You could take a glance at someone or something, uncover their hidden aces, concealed weaknesses, traps, or avenues of improvement, and then retire after informing me. I get knowledge to abuse in each fight while remaining mostly solo, you get a place in a shooting star's sphere of influence, and if Ruval's as much a gentleman as media portrays him as, he'll easily accept you in addition to betrothing me, particularly given your situation."
The brunette could practically hear the gears turning in Jaspal's head. She could see why; influence, a powerful ally, and potentially even sharing a bed with the Blue Phenex? That sort of deal wasn't something easily offered.
Normally the harem idea wouldn't exactly be a good one, but Luna knew full well that Devils were predisposed towards power, and there is a cultural norm towards harems.
Ideally, Luna would be the one with the harem, preferably with those of the same sex, but if needs must she could... compromise.
"I... it's hard to believe you would make such an offer," Jaspal admitted. "I was only expecting a formal alliance, but... this? This is beyond anything I could have hoped for. There... there's a catch, isn't there? This is too good to be true otherwise."
"You mean aside from eternally being bound to my will and power?"
"Considering what you're offering, that's hardly a cost at all."
"Eternity's a long time, you know."
"Yes, but so is becoming a bed-warmer for a noble."
Luna... couldn't exactly argue that point. "Then how about this? You keep an open mind. Keep in mind possibilities, and keep in mind that the world's a lot more complicated than just 'commoners less' or 'Devils are bad', or anything of the sort."
"Yeah." Jaspal's face slowly grew into a smile, the first true beam that Luna had seen from her today. The Worldweaver decided it was a precious thing. "Yeah, those are terms I accept."
"Even if I also mentioned I'm a raging lesbian?"
"I..." the ruby-eyed heiress's cheeks turned red at the insinuation. "...I suppose I could keep an open mind about that, too."
"Then, Jaspal Valac..." Luna leaned in with a smirk. "Are you ready to make a deal with a Devil?"
The Valac's face immediately went deadpan. "That. That was so corny, Luna."
"That's also something you'll need to keep an open mind about."
"I believe I am starting to see the devil in the details..."
"Oh come on, how is that one any better?!"
Four words.
That was all she sent in a missive to the Astaroth household, marked for its heir.
That was all she knew Diodora needed.
She still didn't trust him.
But she knew that the cause he was fighting for... at least right now it was a good one.
And she refused to sit idly by while people who by all accounts should have bright futures are trapped by expectations and crushed beneath the wheel of the Underworld.
"I want to see."
A/N -
Yeah, so you know how I normally keep a somewhat consistent schedule?
Well, a few things happened.
First off, I had three major presentations to do for college this week, second is that I ended up drawing a blank for how to conclude the Diodora scene, and third is that I ended up picking up Monster Hunter Rise.
The first two are somewhat self-explanatory, but as for the third? ...I may have ended up sinking more hours into that game over the past few days than I'm comfortable disclosing.
Three A.M. on Sunday, when I usually post a chapter, and I was only halfway done. Five A.M. and I hadn't gotten much more done. After I was in bed for fourteen hours though I figured out where to go next though! Huzzah!
The next update should be at the usual time. Sorry for the delay, everyone.
I also adjusted the summary of the story too, to better reflect the more serious tone this fic's taken.
Tempura Wizard out.
