"You're certainly moving around sooner than I expected." The remark Relius made as he walked out of concealment made his subject of observation freeze in their steps.
"Colonel Relius Clover," he said with an unwelcoming tone. "…I knew you were close by. You wanted to be found, didn't you?"
Ignis dutifully floated behind him as he came to stop. The specimen was more than what it seemed. "Oh? She has employed a host?" A tinge of excitement from the rare joy of looking at something that caught his interest put him in a pleasant mood. "This is quite the development indeed… As expected of Kokonoe."
The subject remained silent and eyed him from where he stood. His hostility could be read from his tensed posture, dampened by the hooded mantle concealing him from head to toe. There was also a sharpness to his gaze he didn't bother to hide.
"The physical construct is plain, rudimentary even. How unusual for someone of her character." He peered deeper into the essence of the being in front of him, taking in more data. "Ah, I see. The material appears similar to those phantoms… Hm, a passable improvisation."
What fascinated him most was how a piece of the soul could maintain its existence within a vessel such as that.
After thinking upon a theory he could test out, Relius let a low muttering accompany his train of thought. "No, at such a minimal level, it is downright inefficient to Observe…" An inexperienced Observer's power couldn't possibly be enough to sustain it. However, pure force of will remained as a plausible method. It had to be the result of that bothersome power. Perhaps Kokonoe's clumsy soldering too? Mere conjectures for now, he concluded.
"Did you appear in front of me just to ceaselessly wag your tongue about some drivel?"
"Oh, I do tend to get distracted by my own studying. Forgive me." A dry chuckle followed his short words of courtesy.
The man was only more irritated by him. "I suggest that you get out of my sight. The presence of you and your doll sickens me."
The corner of Relius' mouth rose further up in genuine amusement at the obvious posturing. "Standing idly there and flinging cheap insults is hardly a compelling way to make me move aside. I doubt you are holding back your strength out of respect for this…historical place." Old ruins surrounded them, one of the many hidden places left unchecked by the common folk and the Librarium. It presented a perfect space for stirring up trouble.
But Relius knew the real reason the subject hadn't attempted to attack yet. "Or…" The supposedly anchored state of the soul didn't fool his Eyes. He had a solid grasp on its capabilities in this condition—which was pitifully low. But, he wished to test those of the vessel. "Is it that you lack the power to 'convince' me?"
Murderous intent flared but he held his ground. "I'll be doing the world a good by getting rid of you one day… It has no need for your corrupt existence!"
Relius continued goading him. "Alas, I'm not the only so-called 'corrupt existence' you speak of. In fact, including the two of us, there are a few others that roam this plane despite not belonging to it." Naturally, his chances of defeat were not zero. But with a few failsafes and precautions, the odds very much pointed in his favor.
"Don't go associating me with the likes of you," he hissed.
"…" All of their presences were unnatural, including the third party currently patrolling around elsewhere. Deeming it better to leave before the outside entity came too close, Relius decided to put off the test for another time. "I've made changes to my plans. Go on your merry way for now." He then turned to make his leave.
Ignis' gaze lingered on the man standing by his lonesome before following him, also becoming wary of the same thing he had detected.
"At ease, Ignis. We shall keep our distance from the unwelcome guest until necessary." Despite the slight setback, he found this situation to be intriguing. Who was tailing who?