"When falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness?"

Chapter 4 – Tender Moments

"So… I may have been mistaken," said Ragna. Currently they are standing within an alleyway, eyes on the road just outside where people of all sorts moved about with a busy schedule. It was the issue, really. The sun was still up. From the look of things, just past noon too.

"I'm going to assume you're not in the habit of attacking places during the day?" Nier looked at him as she drew in close.

He shrugged, "Of course not. Still, you saw that Wanted Poster right? I don't want to take my chances."

She chuckled, bringing the little parchment out as she looked from the portrait on it and then towards Ragna. "If you squint, it can look a little bit like you…"

"What the-!" Ragna turned back towards her, "…you kept it?"

He sighed. It's not that uncommon for Vigilantes to do that, but when did she have time to tear it from the wall they passed by? Such an unflattering look too. At least they didn't have to worry too much about standing out considering the types of people walking about.

"Orient Town she said…" Ragna murmured and signalled for Nier to follow as he stepped out into the streets and blended in with the ground. He felt Nier's hands on his own, making sure they didn't get separated from the hustle and bustle of this place. Besides, the NOL headquarters can wait and they didn't have much of a lead on anything. What he didn't expect was how easy it was to spot who they were looking for.

"Is she… sleeping in the middle of the road?" Nier pointed out.

They had reached another district, less busy but still with a fair number of people passing by. And pass by they did as there in the middle of the road was the cat beastkin that had found them earlier. And people were really just walking around on either side of her.

"What are we, babysitters?" Ragna mumbled as they approached. Yep, she was sleeping without a care in the world alright. Part of him wanted to just ignore her and let her be but well, they did tell that doctor they'd do something about it if they found her.

"Hey, you alright there?" he bent down, nudging the cat beastkin.

"Meow…" she mumbled, seemingly twitching before standin up and sniffing the air. "Oh, it's you! Not-so-bad guy and gloomy lady! What are you doing here?"

"Your friend down at your place was worried you hadn't come back home yet. Did you get lost?" Ragna wondered and scratched the back of his head.

"Lost? No, not lost. There was a big red guy here earlier though. I played with him a lot but it really tired Tao out." She replied.

"Tao…" Nier murmured.

"Oh that's right! I didn't int…inter…introduce myself yet! I'm Taokaka! Nice to meet you again, gloomy lady!" she continued, taking Nier's hands in an odd handshake before doing the same to Ragna.

*grumble*

"Meow…" Tao's head drooped down though, her stomach making an odd noise. "So much to do… can't move… too hungry…"

"Seriously?" Ragna sighed, looking from Tao and then to Nier. Then again, it's been a while since he had any kind of prepared food. And it's not like he was in a rush to go anywhere anymore. "What do you think?" he looked at Nier, "Interested in eating somewhere?"

"Ah…I don't mind." Nier replied with a nod, her eyes glancing over as others passed them by.

"Then I know just the place! Meow!" Taokaka perked up, as if energy returned to those tired limbs. "Follow me!"

"Well, I'm not going to say no to free food." He raised his shoulders and followed their companion.

An Oriental establishment. Fancy, but with quite a lot of people from all walks of life eating and conversing with each other. Not the typical company he'd keep but well, it's fine with just Nier and Tao.

They were presented a booth at one of the back corners along with a menu that lists a good variety of dishes.

"Not bad…" Ragna said.

"I don't even know half of what all this says…" Nier said quietly.

It didn't take long before the small group had a few plates on their table. Multiple plates and cuisines, a mix of meat and vegetables, and bowls of noodles. Nier was slow and methodical in her eating, eyes always wandering over from Ragna and then to Taokaka but at least she seemed to be enjoying it just fine.

"Meoow, meoooow! This meat, it's so tender and full of juice!" said Tao, being the biggest eater of the group.

"Hey, slow down. Tao was it? You eat way too much! You've been inhaling everything this whole time!" Ragna pointed out.

"Shut up, good guy! Food is meant to be enjoyed, peacefully," The beastkin replied, "Eat good food, and you can forget about all the bad things that happen. The cat person told me."

"May as well, I guess. Nothing wrong with eating as much as we can." Ragna said and focused on his meal.

After a few minutes of just enjoying their meals, there was a lull in the frenzy.

"This bun's not bad…" Nier mumbled, taking a bite out of a steamed bun while the other two paused their meals.

"Oh… so you understand the taste of good food…!" Tao said, her grinning face on Nier before she turned around. "Meow… it is getting late though. I should let Boobie Lady know where I've been. I'll let her know I was with you, good guy!"

"Don't get lost now, alright?" Ragna said and leaned back. Just eat and forget all about the bad things. Wise words from a wise man… probably. He had an inkling of who that mysterious 'cat person' was that Tao mentioned.

"Alrighty! Thanks for the free food, good guy!" Tao said before dashing off out the exit.

"She's an odd one, ain't she?" Ragna said, "Guess we should also… Wait…" the implication of what Tao said just before she left was not lost on him. She thanked him, true, but he was thinking of something else now, something much more serious.

He reached into a pocket and gulped. It would have been better than nothing if he had his wallet with him. But he had forgotten it back down where that Doctor was. Too late to head back there now and when he finally realized it, Ragna took a gulp and scooted over closer to Nier.

"Hey uhhh, Nier?" he started, his voice now a hushed whisper, "You don't happen to have any kind of money with you, do you?"

Nier's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you don't have any…"

"Shhh-! I didn't think she'd leave us with the bill…!"

Nier took out a small pouch and opened it, counting a few coins within.

"I've a few Rupies… would that cover it?" she whispered back.

That… wasn't a currency in circulation here. He shook his head and looked around.

"Alright, listen up," he said in a whisper, "I don't have a penny on me and your coin's probably not going to be any good here. You know what that means?"

Nier nodded her head rapidly, "You truly are a criminal and might be a bad influence?"

"Well yes… and no. We just need to sneak out and pretend like we left the money on the table. We should be able to make a clean exit then. That's doable, I think."

"Wouldn't it be easier if we killed everyone who sees?" she asked.

"What? No-! That would bring down the wrath of everyone outside and the rest of the Librarium. We don't need that much attention." He replied and then sighed, "Follow my lead."

Heading to the exit felt like forever as they tried not to draw too much attention to themselves. It's just a few paces and it already felt like everyone was watching them. Right before they were at the doors however…

"Sir… would you like to pay the bill now?" a woman popped up from behind the counter.

"Well…umm…y'know…" his grip tightened on Nier's hand.

The woman narrowed her gaze, "You're not planning on leaving without paying are you?"

Other customers were definitely being drawn by the attention now.

"Hey… isn't that the bounty?"

"Are you serious? Now that I think about it… he looks a little different from the poster, but I can see the resemblance."

"Is he seriously going to dine and dash?"

"Let's get him! If we all attack, we might be able to take him down!"

"We can split the bounty!"

"Yeah uh…." Ragna gulped as customers rose up from their seats, many of which branded many different, and cruel-looking weapons. "Run for it!"

He dashed out, hoisting Nier over his shoulder followed by an angry mob of bounty-hunters.

"I don't even wanna think about what'll happen if they catch us. Ah, that's not even funny…" he told himself.

"They're mostly just after you, right?" Nier said, not as concerned as he was even as she watched the mob running after them. Ragna was surprisingly agile as they lost sight of a fair number of them, but he wasn't going to slow down any time soon.

"After all I've done, I'll be a laughing stock for the rest of my life if I get caught for dine and dashing! I'm not going down!"

And so he ran, going through twists and turns of the city. Past labyrinthian streets, past construction sites, and even close to the edge where it would be yet another long trip down should they fall.

Still, they finally slowed and stopped as Ragna lowered Nier. His breathing was rapid as he tried to catch his breath, still wary of their surroundings as he looked around. Out of the main section of the city proper, but there was a drawbridge that led to the outskirts if they were to keep on going.

"I think we lost them." Ragna said, breathing in deep as he relaxed his nerves.

"You're quite experienced in running… aren't you?" Nier chuckled, holding up the Wanted Poster in front of her, her gaze switching from it before she peeked out half her face to look at Ragna in comparison.

"Comes with the territory, I guess. Didn't scare you off, did I?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not at all. It's quite… exciting. It's been a while since I've felt a rush like that."

"Heh, guess that Tao person can't keep calling you gloomy lady anymore then." He replied, sitting beside her on one of the benches. It was still a few hours before sunset so in terms of what they could do, there isn't much. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to immediately head towards the NOL branch tonight given all that's happened. And it wouldn't feel right endangering Nier's life, even if the girl herself seemed eager to participate.

He felt her move closer to him, resting the side of her head against his left shoulder. Honestly, he had never met anyone who would act this way towards him. And he could feel this wasn't some kind of feigned attempt to get closer to him for an ulterior motive.

No, from what that her Primal Beast Death showed him, she truly was in genuine search of acceptance. Even if her methods left much to be desired. Part of him was concerned of course, but part of him was glad there was someone out there who didn't seem to think any less of him. Having any kind of positive relationship with anyone was hard to come by on his end. Helps that she's pretty cute too.

She looked up, her red eyes staring back at his own. And while he was drawn to them, he found his gaze moving up along with his left hand, patting the top of her head and fluffing her cat-like ears.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

He paused and lowered his hand. "Err, sorry. Just found it cute is all."

"I didn't say to stop…" she murmured, pressing her head closer to his shoulder.

He smiled, but before he could continue, a large dog passed by in front of them. It barked at them multiple times, enough to startle Nier before it suddenly ran off.

"What was that all about?" Ragna wondered before something heavy fell from the sky to land in front of them.

Immediately Ragna stood up, eyes narrowed as the dust from the crater cleared. He unlatched his sword out as well, holding it defensively in front of Nier as a massive, red giant of a man emerged from the crater.

"…Can I help you?" he asked dryly.

The giant said nothing at first, eyes behind spectacles which made it difficult to figure out where exactly he was looking at. Granted, he already knew who this was.

"Are you Ragna the Bloodedge?" the giant asked him.

"…No, you have the wrong person."

"I am from Sector Seven," the red giant continued, "Ragna the Bloodedge, I have orders to restrain you. I'd prefer it if you came quietly. If you don't resist, I won't have to hurt you."

"You didn't hear a word I said did you?" Ragna replied.

"You've got the Azure Grimoire with you. You must have known you'd show up on our EADAP. I do hope you're not mistaking Sector Seven for that subpar Librarium."

He sighed. "So, what are you going to do Mr. Red Devil?"

"You know of me, then? I suppose I can dispense with the formalities. I'd hoped I wouldn't have to force you, but you've given me no choice." the Red Devil answered, raising his massive gauntleted fists up in a fighting stance.

"…You… you interrupted our moment together…" Nier said and stood just slightly behind Ragna. "I just wanted some time alone with him and you're already trying to take him away…" she brought out her card, the form vanishing before the Arcarum Primal materialized beside Ragna.

"What?" the Red Devil said in surprise. "Kokonoe, are you reading this? This isn't Ars Magus? Nor a Nox Nyctores?"

"Death, get rid of it." Nier said.

A cackling laughter from the Primal, "As yoo wish, my beloved…" she turned towards the Red Devil, "Absolute Death comes upon you…!"

The confrontation was initiated then as Death rushed straight towards the Red Devil. She spun about like a dancer, the scythed tips attached to her head swung about elegantly and slashed at the Red Devil's gauntlets as he attempted to block the attacks.

The clash of scythes against metal sent sparks up into the air before Ragna joined in the offense. He leaped up and swung his blade down atop the Red Devil's head. But their opponent's size belied surprising agility as he weaved his massive body about with surprising speed and caused Ragna to miss, carving a gash down on the ground where he once stood.

The response was immediate and the Red Devil clapped his gauntleted arms together with such force that the shockwave even briefly knocked both Ragna and Death back away from him.

Portions of the Red Devil's gauntlet opened up and electricity surged within. A spark suddenly shot out like a bolt of lightning, striking Ragna directly and sent him flying back.

Death resumed her assault though the Red Devil raised one of his gauntlets in response and Ragna came flying back, being dragged by the electromagnetic pull of the weapon. He unintentionally struck Death from behind, knocking the Primal off balance before he found himself in the iron grip of their opponent.

With his free left hand, he punched the Red Devil's face again and again, grunting only to be suddenly slammed down into the ground.

Thankfully, the grip loosened as Death resumed her assault, the scything blades of her weaponry chipping away at the Red Devil's own.

"Goddammit. That was like hitting a rock." Ragna coughed out as he got up, Nier immediately walking over to his side. Already she was beginning to heal his injury without any prompting. He appreciated it, truly.

"I don't know what he's made of, but no more being the good guy here. I don't want Sector Seven getting involved with my business," Ragna muttered and rejoined the fight.

His sword transformed, splitting and rearranging itself as another blade of red energy emerged to form a scythe.

If Death's scythes were quick and elegant, then Ragna's one scythe was all about pure power. The two worked in tandem, driving the Red Devil back again and again with no effort spared to give him an opening. Even as a barrier formed to push them back, the continuous strikes alternated between the two as Death and the Grim Reaper chipped away and eventually succeeded in breaking the barrier.

With another swing of his scythe, one of the Red Devil's gauntlets simply shattered at the impact, bringing the giant down onto his knees.

"Guh…! This was not within parameters. From the man who carries the Azure Grimoire… a fatal… miscalculation…" the Red Devil grunted.

"Finally giving up then?" Ragna said, pointing the tip of his scythe at the Red Devil. "I don't care what Sector Seven wants, just stay out of my way."

"We shood finish him off then…" Death leaned in close to whisper into his ear. "Then it will never come after yoo again."

"Tempting offer, but no. This should at least give Sector Seven second thoughts about trying this stunt again." Ragna answered and reverted his weapon back to its usual form. "You hear that, Mr. Red Devil? I'm letting you go. Tell your superiors to stay away from us."

The Red Devil was silent for a bit, maybe not even listening to his words. "Understood… there's enough data…"

And then he vanished in an orb of darkness and electricity. Teleportation magic?

"…He wasn't even listening to me," said Ragna

"I told yoo…." Death whispered and floated back to Nier's side, reverting back to the form of a card.

Ragna sighed and relaxed once more. They can't stay here for long again. The commotion would have attracted more disreputable people and he'd rather not stick around and find out.

"That could have gone better," he murmured and then frowned. There was a familiar scent in the air. Sweet… too sweet. Nier could smell it too before she suddenly vanished in front of his eyes.

"Oh, come on rabbit!" Ragna called out as he was left alone.