The Time of Isolation Hath come
VII
This was hardly how he saw his evening going the moment he walked out of the door and started the journey home.
At this point, he was wondering whether he should just slap a sign on his back that demanded he be approached by really important people who were also really intimidating.
Admittedly, Azazel wasn't quite as intimidating as this, but it was for an entirely different reason.
This park.
This damned park was becoming a consistent location for giving him heart attacks.
"Here!"
A sudden voice in his ear and a white blur in his face pulled a gasp of alarm from him, throwing himself back slightly and staring with renewed focus towards the object right in his face. It was a second later when it became clear what had been shoved towards him, that being an ice-cream cone.
His eyes danced to the owner, the smiling face of one Levi-tan.
How on earth did this even happen?
The eyes remained bright and full of life, the smile on the face of the diminutive figure never once faltering, even as he remained frozen in the moment. Though one thing that lacked that unmoving nature was the ice-cream itself, he glanced back to see trickles running down the cone and coming dangerously close to the fingers of the girl.
He brought his hand up, delicately taking it from the hands of the girl.
If it was at all possible, her smile brightened further as she then moved around and hopped up onto the bench beside him, shuffling herself for a moment and then happily going about eating the frozen treat.
Romani, meanwhile, found himself unable to do anything other than stare blankly into the distance as he tried to make sense of what happened.
He walked home, then had made it as far as halfway before the girl had basically appeared in front of him out of thin air. Given him an excited greeting and then grabbed his hand before whisking them both away before he could even get so much as a single word out.
Romani wasn't sure he had actually said anything yet either, at least beyond a few grunts of confusion and alarm.
Another slow blink came upon him, and like a poorly oiled machine his neck started crank as his head turned to his right. Looking down at Levi-tan as she consumed the ice-cream without even noticing that he was staring at her. For the life of him, he didn't know what was going on here.
He could maybe guess, but he couldn't be sure.
There was a strong chance that he had fallen asleep and was just dreaming at the moment.
That was a strong possibility.
His eyes lowered themselves onto the ice-cream and stared at it, watching the frozen treat melt and then layer over his fingers. A second or two later, there was a chilly sensation across his fingers, trailing down towards his knuckles and earning a slight wince from him.
It confirmed it wasn't a dream.
He didn't know if that was better or worse.
"You're not lactose intolerant, are you?"
It felt like an honest question, all he could do was give a mute response.
The slow shake of the head was all he could muster with a head that felt as though it was made of lead, his eyes removing themselves from the girl and returning to the park. Searching out anything that could be considered mildly more appealing, dancing across towards the fountain in the centre of the park and staring at that with renewed focus.
"Ah, I suppose it would be a bit of a heart attack if your idol just dragged you out for a date, wouldn't it?"
The words didn't register with him, not at first.
They sort of just bounced around inside of his head for several agonising moments, each ricochet of the words in his skull felt like the blow of a hammer on an anvil. When they did finally decide they would inform him of what they actually meant, Romani felt the strength of his arm fail completely, the ice-cream slipped from his hands.
He heard no splatting sound, there was no cold presence on his lap as the ice cream fell.
Slowly, he glanced down and found himself staring at the ice cream as it hovered in the air, suspended by some unseen force and just hanging around in complete mockery of gravity.
"Hey, that would be a pretty big waste, you know?"
The words weren't what had the impact on him, it was instead the fact the ice-cream was being held aloft - upon closer inspection - by a literal sea of sparkles. Each one glittering brightly like a small sun, floating the ice-cream and keeping it together as it turned in the air and moved towards his hands, though it did not drop into them.
Romani blinked several times, then took in a short breath.
"...I am married."
"Ah, yes. I remember." The affirming hum echoed loud to him. "I met her, she was a nice woman. I think you did very well to have a wife as pretty as her. She tried to tell me she could make me a better magic wand, but I'm fine with the one I have. Still, I have to admire her determination in making the offer. I like bold people."
His wife tried to make Levi-tan a new magic wand.
Because that was a sentence that now existed.
With a low grunt, he shifted his eyes to the girl and stared down at her for a few moments in utter silence, then turned away and grunted. "Sorry. Just…trying to make sense of everything at the moment. A little confused. A bit panicked and…"
He brought his right hand up and placed it flat against his chest, feeling his heart pound away at a speed faster than he was accustomed to. Somehow that was the least surprising thing of the entire encounter. Earning a slow nod of the head from him as he lowered the arm back down onto his lap and rolled his jaw.
"Yeah. Feel like my heart is going to explode."
"That would be pretty terrible for you." It was a rather childish remark from the young looking woman, but Romani was fairly sure she was considerably older than he was. It was something that was only just dawning on him.
Not that anyone would have guessed by looking at her.
"Yeah. Can't imagine it would be great." He replied, drawn in by the topic as another silence passed. Then he closed his eyes and dropped his head down, it was his left hand that came up next to rub away at his face. When it dropped, he felt as though he had finally mustered up the courage to actually speak. "So…what are we doing?"
"Sitting on a bench and eating ice-cream." A pause, then a disapproving frown was aimed his way. "At least I am. Do you not like the flavour? Did I end up picking something you don't like? Sorry, I was in such a rush that I didn't even ask you what you wanted."
"I-It's fine." He croaked back to her, feeling more than a little overwhelmed as he reached forwards and plucked the ice-cream out of the air, then gave it a single lick before pulling it back and staring down at it. "...Vanilla?"
"With sprinkles!" Levi-tan cheered with a wave of the hand, then pointed to him. "Because sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. That's why magical girls are so popular and will endure forever!"
Faced with that level of cheer, all he could do was muster the strength to nod his head in silence.
He seemed to be doing a lot of that during this conversation.
If it could be called that.
"So…why else we on a bench."
Levi-tan frowned, then leaned back. "I thought it would be really boring if I just talked to you in the street about what I wanted to discuss. So I thought it would be a bit more interesting if we went out for something nice to eat. Though that felt a bit much, so I went with ice-cream and a regular old park bench."
Yeah, that made sense to him.
…No, it didn't.
Who was he fooling?
"And…what did you want to talk about?"
She smiled, a look in her eyes as though she had been waiting for this from the very beginning. With a rather wide grin that contained no small amount of pride, she puffed out her chest and all but exploded with words. "I'm here to talk about our absolute favourite person ever! We'll, my favourite but I am certain that you will definitely have her in your top ten because it is impossible for her not to be there, right?"
Romani found the twinkle in her eyes to be a little more menacing.
Levi-tan then pouted and turned away from him. "But she doesn't ever want to talk with me about how her school life is going. Always keeping everything a secret from me which is a really mean thing to do. All I want is to just cheer her on when she's away in the human world but it's like she's trying to put up this wall…"
Oh, right.
This would definitely be about Sona.
"Ah, your sister?"
"Exactly!" He jerked back when she all but lunged into his face, scrambling away from her and grabbing the backrest of the bench to stop himself being knocked out of it. Her eyes bore into his own for a split second, then she leaned back with a frightening amount of grace and batted down her clothes with her free hand. "Ahem. Yes, So-tan. The absolute best sister in the world, no matter what Zechs says about his own sister. I suppose it's expected because she's his sister, but So-tan is definitely just better in every way, right? You think so, don't you?"
Romani blinked twice.
Then a third time for good measure.
"I…what?"
Levi-tan exhaled and looked away for a moment. "Sorry about that, I got a little caught up in the moment with talking about So-tan. Though it's quite easy to do so because she's so great…Nevermind. I was thinking about how she was definitely hiding something from me that's happening this week. She's definitely not telling me something and if I ask her, she'll deny it."
Her free hand came up, then pointed towards him.
Her lips pulled into a faint smirk. "Which is where I got the brilliant idea to just ask you instead, because you work in the same school as So-tan, so you would definitely know if there was anything that she was keeping from me, wouldn't you?"
Keeping from-?
…Ah.
The parents day-!
"Ah-ha!" Her finger closed in, he nearly went cross-eyed as it hovered barely an inch in front of his face, then his gaze darted back to the Devil as she grinned even deeper than before. "That look right there says that you definitely know something. Therefore, I would very much like it if you could tell me."
"I'm…not sure-" The words felt like weights in his throat, glancing left and right to see if there was anyone taking notice of this. The utter lack of reaction from the few who walked past told him that there was probably something going on. His eyes flickered back towards the Devil as she put on a look of surprise.
"Eh? Not even for me?"
…She really made it tough.
He fidgeted in his seat for a moment, looking into the eyes of the Devil before he replied.
Slow as he dared but loud as he could.
"If…If Sona-san isn't telling you, then it would be irresponsible of me to go against her wishes."
Silence descended upon them.
It fell like a hammer upon him, a pressure on his shoulders from the long stare that came from the woman in front of him. The finger slowly removed itself from him, the girl gave a single long blink, then angled her head ever so slightly as she maintained her gaze into his own eyes.
"...Is that right?"
Romani dared not speak.
He instead nodded his head once.
The eyes of Levi-tan closed, then turned away from him, her shoulders rose and then fell.
The mask broke, a flicker of a smile crossed her features. "That's something of a relief. I was worried about the sort of people that So-tan was surrounding herself with at her school. I've met her peerage before but…Hmmm. I see, so you do care about her? That's good to hear. You don't need to say anything, I can tell."
She glanced at him, the smile seemed softer than before. "You respect her wishes, that's good."
Romani felt his brows slowly pinch together. "W-was that some sort of test or-"
"Hmmm? Oh no, not at all." Was the startlingly honest reply he received, the woman looked surprised he had even asked. "I do want to know what So-tan is hiding from me, but I'm sure that I'll figure it out all by myself sooner or later. Then again, to hear that you would follow her example that much…I was a little concerned about you, to be honest. I'm sure you can understand why."
He tried not to flinch, but didn't manage it all that well. Pulling himself back onto the bench and turning about, dropping one arm onto his knee while the other held the ice-cream cone. It would doubtless have been an odd sight for anyone to stumble across, but he did not care much for how it would look.
"...Yeah. I'm…a bit strange."
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Levi-tan remarked with a hint of a frown on her lips. "Everyone has something that makes them a little special inside. Some just show it brighter than others, but it exists in all of us. No matter how big or small they might be, there is a little sparkle in everyone."
Romani didn't say anything, instead he barked out a laugh and shook his head. It was hardly one of mocking either, a true and honest laugh escaped him from the words. "D-did you really pull that right from your show?"
"I figured you would appreciate the words." Levi-tan remarked with a knowing smile. "But if you can appreciate my show that much, then you can't be that bad of a person…and you did prove to me that you respect So-tan enough to even go against the wishes of an idol. I'm really relieved that there are people like you here to look out for her."
A little heat flooded his cheeks, his left hand came up from his lap and placed itself on his nap, rubbing back and forth as he flickered his eyes away from the woman. "I think you're giving me a little too much credit there. It's more like she spends her time chasing after me…honestly, you'd have a hard time believing which of us is actually the student most of the time."
Levi-tan let out a soft giggle. "That sounds just like So-tan. I always knew she was smart and diligent. I'm quite proud of her for that, always thinking things through before she goes ahead and does them…but she takes everything seriously…Say…what do you think about her? I'm asking as an older sister here."
Sona Sitri…what did he think about her?
Romani rolled his lips as he mulled over the question.
"...Sometimes she scares me."
"Eh? Have you been naughty around So-tan-?!"
He snorted and waved his free hand towards the woman. "No-well, maybe? I suppose that depends on your definition but…I'm scared of just how good she is. I think she's an incredible young woman who is going to achieve a lot of good things in the future. But…like you said, she takes everything seriously."
An exhale escaped him. "...Sometimes I have a hard time believing she's actually a teenager. Not at all like me when I was her age but that's probably a good thing, to be honest. Though…if it makes her happy, then I can't complain."
Turning his head, he gave Levi-tan a faint smile. "Your sister is an incredible person…and despite everything that goes on, with all the trouble I cause her with my…uhm…less punctual aspects of everything-"
Levi-tan raised a brow and looked at him with a touch of a smirk. "You mean being lazy? I can tell the sort at a single glance. You're more of a dreamer than a doer, aren't you?"
"...Yeah."
"I don't think that's a bad thing." She replied with a nod of the head. "I think it would be better to have an active imagination than none at all."
He had to give her that, but nowadays…
"...If you're worried about your sister." Romani began rather clumsily. "Well...She's really something else. Her and all of the student council, they're all really reliable kids. Though I'm sure that she'll need help every now and again and…hmmm. I don't think she'd say no to something like that, but I can't say?"
Levi-tan tilted her head. "Do you have siblings?"
He shook his head. "Only child…I had friends who had little brothers and sisters but I never really interacted much with them. Not really…never stayed in one moment long enough to notice any of it, actually. Always thinking about something else…Too much of being a dreamer, I guess."
"...Were the dreams any good?"
"...They were alright."
"That sounds a bit like a let down." Levi-tan frowned at him. "Your dreams should be magical, thrilling, amazing!"
"...I don't need dreams for that sort of thing anymore." The words slipped out of him easily, but they felt comfortable to say. "I think that I got everything I more or less wanted. My dreams turned to reality…though with how things are going, I guess they're getting a little more magical."
It was an unconscious thing, he gazed at his left palm and willed the sparkles into life. The golden glitter danced around in his palm for a few moments, twisting around and spinning into a small vortex before vanishing away.
That was one of the few things he could reliably do.
"Oooooh!"
A blink.
His eyes turned to Levi-tan as she stared at his palm then back towards him, smiling a bit brighter than before. "That was a rather pretty display there. Are you looking to become a magical boy?"
"...No, I'm just…trying my best." He replied with a shrug. "...I think that's all any of us can do. Me, you and Sona-san…but I think that she just does her best better than I could, really. I suppose that's why she does scare me."
"...I think you're a bit hard on yourself there."
"Hmmm. Leo would say the same."
Levi-tan fell silent beside him, the two of them gazed at the fountain for what felt like hours, but it could have been no more than mere minutes.
"...So what is So-tan like at school? A little bit more detail."
Romani raised a brow. "Does she really not tell you anything?"
The woman gave a light shrug. "I find out in other ways, but in the end it's always better to hear about someone else praising So-tan aside from me. It makes me feel a bit more proud as a big sister when someone else compliments her."
He internally mulled it over in his head.
He didn't see that much of an issue with it, especially if it was just little things here and there from his time spent under the watchful gaze of the girl.
Though it would probably involve some of his more tricky moments here and there, especially with the sweets hidden in the ceiling…but…
"...Alright then." He replied after a few seconds. "I guess it couldn't hurt."
Levi-tan smiled a bit wider, then sent a glance past him and towards the trees for a split second before her gaze returned to him. He barely noticed it, however, nor did he notice the way her smile turned far more amused.
If there was one thing that Leona did enjoy, it was her work.
Especially when she got paid for it.
Though, despite what some would claim, the money was always secondary when it came to the matter of her work. What she cared more than the money was the designs that went with it instead, the fact she was paid to do what she loved doing.
And when she was paid well enough to get around to this sort of situation, it was well worth it indeed.
Setting the briefcase upon the desk, she laid her hand flat upon it and sent a rather coy smile across to the person sitting opposite. The meaning was conveyed quite easily, as their eyes flickered towards the briefcase and then back to her. The excitement was naked in those sapphire blue orbs.
They swiftly rose, not even bothering to appear anything less than enthused as they moved around the table and stood beside her within the time of a single breath.
Glancing at one another, they kept their voices hidden until the proper moment, then their gaze turned back to the briefcase, layered with a dozen spells of protection and concealment to hide the prize that lay within it.
Her hands moved towards the lock, the key provided slipped in and she felt the pull of magical energy from within. A deft twitch of the wrist and she heard the click and experienced the tug as the wards accepted the lock and undid the protection spells that would have otherwise done something unpleasant.
Moving her left hand up, she laid it atop the case and pulled, unveiling the contents.
Leona felt a sharp intake of breath slip down her throat as her eyes widened for the contents within, making no effort to hide the grin that formed on her face.
Two ingots sat before her, thirty centimetres by ten by ten.
An amateur would have mistaken such things for silver, but they reflected light so perfectly that it was as though they were a mirror. Not a single blemish could be seen on the metal and she knew it would forever remain that way. Nothing could alter the surface of such things and it was a trait unique to the forging process.
Curious as to how her business partner felt, she turned and was not disappointed with the result.
The eyes of Rias were akin to blazing stars, burning bright with a certain type of ambition that only came about when one was playing with the possibilities of what could be done. Of course, the peerage of Gremory had only access to one of the ingots, Sona and her bunch would get the other.
But so long as they paid her for her service, Leona would be more than willing to accommodate a request to make something for them.
Yet the chance to work with this sort of metal was almost a reward unto itself.
No, it was the reward.
She was only accepting the currency as a means of maintaining her professional pride.
"I trust that you're satisfied then?" Asking the question, she pulled her lips upwards into a smug smile that was soon mirrored by the Devil.
Rias looked back at her in much the same way that a cat would gaze upon a captured mouse, smiling almost wide enough to show teeth. With a slow nod of the head, the girl stepped forwards and reached out a hand, a finger extended so close to touching the metal before holding itself back barely a hair from actual contact.
"I have only ever seen this sort of metal one other time and it was as magnificent than as it is now…"
There was a giddiness in the voice of the girl that was unmistakable.
Leona chuckled. "It's a rare metal and not one easily acquired. Especially because the family that smelts it doesn't hand it out all that often. Though they do such things on occasion…I trust that you consider this a very worthwhile deal then?"
"Certainly."
There wasn't even a moment of hesitation before Rias answered, Leona very nearly laughed once more at the brightness of the voice.
"Have you given thought for what sort of designs you would come up with?"
Rias wet her lips and turned back towards her, she wore a look that Leona had seen a great many times upon her own face when she gazed into a mirror. The look of someone who had so many ideas that she could not think of just one.
Leona let out a short huff of mirth at the expression as she stepped backwards, lowering her hands onto her lips and rolling her eyes. "You don't need to decide right away. Though I can certainly understand the urge to just rush and make something out of it…but something like this needs to be treated with absolute care. We can't make something careless with it now, can we?"
A sharp shake of the head from the girl, her breathing visibly steadied as she glanced back at the metal and narrowed her gaze, her right hand came up supported by her left. Her fingers pinched her chin and a hum escaped from the girl. "Hardly, I'll have to speak with the others about something like this. Though it would need to be something they can use for the rest of their lives…something that could be passed down."
She wanted something that could serve as an heirloom, did she?
That was perfect.
The long lasting type of product was one of Leona's favourite to make.
Though this was no mere product, this was a modern masterpiece she was aiming to make.
Some could only dream of ever getting to see pure mithril, but she would have the chance to make something with it.
Her heart was probably hammering in her chest already at the mere prospect of being able to use the metal.
"Jewellery."
The sudden declaration felt as though it was blurted out, she turned to Rias and raised her brows and awaited an elaboration from the young Devil.
Even Rias looked surprised she had said the words aloud, though quickly composed herself and nodded her head up and down, removing her hands from her face and lowering them to her hips. A smile formed, one of complete confidence.
"Jewellery. One for each of my peerage and with spells that truly accommodate them."
Jewellery?
That…that was actually a very smart idea.
Though suddenly the thought of some of the males in the peerage wearing jewellery made Leona chuckle for a moment, then nod her head up and down in support. With only a single ingot, it would be best to spread it out amongst the peerage and really, it was a good way for Leona to get value out of it. Each one of them could be delicately crafted to suit the individual they were forged for.
Which meant that she would get some good value out of those lists she had composed of the Sacred Gears from all of them and how they would best work.
"I suppose it would be best to gather everyone around tomorrow and then start work on it…unless you want to rush and do all of this now?"
She would have been fine with it either way.
Rias shook her head from side to side. "No, we can handle it all tomorrow. I certainly suspect we shall need the distraction, given the fact there will be the parents day…I'm certain that my father will be attending and perhaps my brother as well. Though I'm sure you have also heard about what is happening in Kuoh?"
Leona gave a light snort as she lowered the lid of the briefcase down.
Who hadn't heard of it yet?
"You mean the fact the three factions of the Abrahamic faith are finally going to announce they're ending the ceasefire and starting the talks for peace? I doubt there is a pantheon left in the world who hasn't heard about it."
Her lip twitched.
"And how are you feeling about your territory being at the epicentre of what shall doubtless be one of the most important summits in recent memory?"
Rias closed her eyes and groaned, bringing up a hand and covering her face.
Evidently she wasn't feeling all that pleased about the locale, something that Leona could certainly empathise with.
"I'm sure they aren't going to hold it anywhere near this school. I would hardly call this place - no offence intended - suitable accommodation for such a meeting. And if there was a disagreement, I don't think it would end up surviving."
Rias chortled a little, pulling up her head and flashing a mirthful grin. "You shouldn't joke about such things, if Sona heard you she would likely have a heart attack on the spot at the thought of someone starting an argument in the school. Especially after all the work she has put into it…"
A sigh, the girl inclined her head.
"But what of you?"
Leona raised a brow.
"What of me?" she asked.
"You put in quite a lot of effort to remain hidden and out of sight." Rias said, a pointed look on her face. "Especially away from Devils and the like. Now the top brass of the three factions are all going to be here for what might be months of on and off dialogue between them. They might decided to go for a wander around and if any of them should happen upon yourself or your husband…"
Leona felt her lips fall, though it was not something that was only just now occurring to her. "I'm certain that Azazel shall keep the Fallen away from my general location, despite the fact he did show up at my house…and I would hope to avoid priests appearing at my front door."
Rias raised a brow. "What? Nothing for the Devils?"
"No, they'd probably have to deal with you first."
Placing a hand on her heart, the teenager put on a look of false shock. "Dear me, it sounds as though you're using me as some sort of shield to protect yourself."
"I am."
"How devious." Rias spoke with a smile, indicating she did not think poorly of it. "A smart idea, especially because your relation to me would mean no Devil would think of trying something. Especially because it would put them in the poor graces of two of the four Satans. Lady Leviathan has a fan and she would certainly fight to protect one of those."
Leona chuckled. "Don't remind me, my husband's hobby might well have just saved him from trouble."
"And earned him some trouble as well. I don't doubt that Lady Leviathan might track him down for one reason or another…though it will probably relate to Sona rather than anything else to do with him. No doubt using her influence to demand stories of my dear friend."
Leona shrugged her shoulders. "So long as it stays as idle gossip, she can do as she wishes…I trust Romani."
"Yes, I believe there was a remark from Akeno about his tutelage in magic. I heard he makes some very beautiful stars."
It was a teasing remark with an undercurrent of something else.
They both knew it.
Romani had learned very quickly, even if Leona was his teacher.
"He's always had an eye for dazzling things." She answered instead, a smile on her lips aimed towards the Devil. "Why do you think he has me for a wife?"
A snort from the teenager, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Mirth danced in her eyes and on her face from the remark, "Is that so?" she asked, a question without needing an answer.
Leona hummed, casting her eyes back to the briefcase for a moment. "I'd have thought that Lady Sitri and her peerage would have been here for the display. I know yours to be indisposed at the moment with various other tasks."
"Sona has her own business to take care of, I'm sure." An answer with a cool tone. "Though I will be sure to very loudly boast about how I got the chance to see the metal first and have already gotten ideas on what can be done with it."
As always, everything was a competition to Devils.
Not that she was bothered by it, competition bred creativity and that was something that she thrived on.
"So then, shall I be expecting you to make an appearance at the parents' day tomorrow?"
Leona raised a brow and internally debated the topic for a moment, "I suppose we shall see."
She was going to attend, she knew that much.
Despite the fact she would probably run right into the likes of Sirzechs Lucifer or Serafall Leviathan.
Romani was a bit surprised to find that when he arrived back home, Leona wasn't there.
Although a quick glance to his phone revealed that he had been sent a text some minutes prior which alerted him that she would be back late for work reasons. Though he was sure that was some sort of lingo for magical stuff.
No, what he was rather curious about was the fact that it was not just Asia who was present when he came back home.
With the benefit of hindsight, Issei being there wasn't that great of a surprise to him.
Even the presence of Xenovia sitting on his sofa didn't strike that much of a stretch.
No, it was the presence of Kiba that was a touch odd to him, but when he thought about what the boy had been aiming towards, it made a great deal more sense now.
They all looked at him in much the same way one would have expected a deer to look in the headlights of a car. He was sure that he wore a matching expression the moment he stepped through into the living room. Eyes sweeping from each of the different faces before his surprise faded away and he brought up a single hand.
"Hello."
Asia broke the silence of the teenagers with an awkward shuffle and a somewhat ashamed look. "I'm sorry, Roman. We were all walking together and I thought to invite them in for some refreshments, did I-"
"Oh no, no!" Hastily cutting her short, he waved his hands from side to side as he slung his bag from off his shoulder. "You're fine. You can invite your friends around here as often as you want. I'd encourage it, actually. Helps me know the sort of people you're hanging out with at school and all that…"
The latter part muttered in a low tone, his eyes glanced at the others before a small smile came on his face as he glanced at Xenovia. "Also helps me make sure that everyone is doing alright."
Xenovia looked at him oddly for a moment, then inclined her head. "I am not in any physical discomfort."
"...I'd hope not, that was a pretty expensive piece of furniture."
"Heh."
A faint noise, a tiny laugh and Romani turned his head to the source. Kiba sat in a chair with a small cup in his hands, bringing it to his lips with a faint smile on his lips. Then paused and quickly wiped the expression from his face.
"So how come you're back so late, Roman-sensei?"
He blinked, then looked across to Issei as the boy gave him what was undoubtedly a scrutinising gaze.
"I'm not back that late." Ignoring the fact he was being interrogated in his own home, he answered the question. "At least I don't think I am, but I was speaking with someone and time dragged on. So that was my bad, if I had known that Leo wasn't going to be in, I would have come back a bit sooner so that Asia wasn't alone with all of you."
It registered a second later that sounded rather suspicious.
"Not that I don't trust all of you." He blurted out, shooting a nervous glance around the room. "But leaving a bunch of young teenagers alone in the house is a little irresponsible of me."
Issei gradually raised a brow towards him, incredulity in his gaze. "Are you worried you'd come back to a house party or something?"
Romani blinked slowly.
His eyes turned from Issei and towards Asia in a deliberate manner, so long and pointed as the stare that while the young blonde remained ignorant to the meaning behind the look, the others were not quite as lost and sent rather odd looks in the direction of Issei.
Seconds passed, then Romani returned his gaze to the brown haired boy who looked as though he felt a touch silly for suggesting the idea in the first place.
"No. I'm not."
Because Asia was a good girl who wouldn't do something like that.
No, he would be more worried about that sort of behaviour from Leona, all things considered.
He turned from them and offered a light smile. "Well, I won't keep you all bothered with my presence. I'll head upstairs."
"You don't have to, Roman." Asia's words echoed quickly behind him, he paused before he could leave the room, glancing over his shoulder at the girl and giving a shake of the head.
"It's fine. You should be able to hang out with your friends without having me looming over your shoulder-"
Asia started pouting.
His jaw snapped shut and he quickly averted his eyes from the girl.
Damn, that was good.
It almost got him.
"I am puzzled." Xenovia sounded out, he swiftly turned his gaze towards her and raised a brow. She looked at him with no small amount of confusion in her eyes. "Is there some reason why he is not supposed to be with us?"
Romani winced at her words, it sounded to be such an innocent request as well.
"Well, it's more…uh…"
"Not that I can think of."
He shot a look towards the now smirking Issei, it was clear the boy was enjoying this.
Eyes turned to their final hope, Kiba was still gazing to his cup as he brought it to his lips once more, only to pause when he realised that he was the focus of Romani's attention. He conveyed the silent pleading to not be dragged into a conversation with all of them towards the boy. After all, he was sure that Kiba would rather use the opportunity to get closer to Issei or something.
Kiba smiled back at him.
"I do not have a problem with Roman-sensei joining us."
Traitors and Devils.
Each and every one of them.
…Oh, wait.
His gaze dipped towards the ground and then paused.
Rassei stared back at him, sat on their haunches and looked up with a slightly narrowed gaze. For a moment, he assumed the small dragon would do something to try and fend him away. It would have been a convenient excuse for him to leave.
And then it stood up and trotted forwards, grabbing at his trousers with its mouth and dragging him towards the room.
He resigned himself and dropped his shoulders.
"I'm not sure what you're all expecting from me or something." He muttered under his breath as he was all but ferried into the room with a combination of small dragons and devils. He had only wanted to give the children a chance to play with one another.
Had times changed that much?
When he was a kid, he certainly wouldn't want to be playing with his friends while his parents or guardian sat in the room with him and watched on.
He dropped himself onto the sofa and folded his arms, watching as the small blue dragon scurried away back to Asia.
"Good boy, Rassei." She cooed, dropping down and scratching the underside of the little menaces chin. It made a noise like that of a pur, eyes rolled back and then closed. Clearly getting everything it wanted out of the arrangement.
It made a good deal of sense to him now.
The dragon didn't care about him, it just wanted to be fussed over by Asia.
Closing his eyes, he fell back into the sofa and surrendered himself to what was probably going to be a rather awkward time of it all.
"Not today, foul monster!"
Leona had no idea what she was looking at when she came home and heard noises coming from the living room.
Well, that wasn't wrong, she did know what she was looking at.
But she could not help but raise an eye as she stared at the small audience assembled in front of the television.
"As long as there's hope in my heart and a sparkle in my eyes, there shall always be a ray of light to banish away your evil nature!"
"Yeah!" Asia, of all people, stood up and gave a light cheer before swiftly sitting down and coughing twice. Clearly having been caught up in the thrill of it all.
But Leona felt a tug of her lips all the same as she watched them.
"You shall not stop me, Levi-tan!" The TV roared back, a figure clouded in smoke and wielding a blood red sword, throwing a wave of brilliant lights towards the magical girl who weaved between blows. "After I defeat you and cast your broken body before your allies, I shall claim the realm as my own! Thus shall begin the true age of chaos!"
"Never!" A flash and a rumbling boom. Levi-tan swung out her magical want and shattered the next crescent blade against a brilliant white shield. "Your chaos shall never come to pass! You will be defeated here and now! Glitter beam!"
Leona paced towards the group until she stood behind them, eyes glancing between the ignorant bunch and then towards the back of Romani. Somehow, this was what she expected he would do sooner or later.
"So what the heck is-"
"Shush." Romani was quick to silence Issei when the boy made to speak, the teenager quickly flinched and leaned back into his seat without saying anything.
Of course.
Because no one interrupted Romani when he was watching magical shows.
She remained stood there until the episode finally ended.
Naturally with a large glittery explosion that was very much like a rainbow and the bad guy screaming 'no!' very loudly as he was blasted away into the far distance and then a cheesy little message aimed at young children. Well, young Devil children.
But the message worked just as well.
It's never wrong to be competitive.
The credits started to roll and she pulled her lips upwards, glancing to the backs of the heads of the audience and waiting until one of them opted to notice her.
"...That was Serafall Leviathan."
The tone of Xenovia almost made her burst out laughing, because of course the former exorcist would be rather dumbfounded at what she had just seen. Leona was certain that if she had seen the girl's face, she would have seen only the expression of someone who had been slapped.
A sort of dumb shock.
"That was Kaichou's sister." Issei spoke next, his own tone of voice somewhat bewildered. "How many of these do you have anyway?"
Romani did not answer immediately.
Leona took the chance to announce herself.
"I believe he had the boxset for the first five seasons of the show."
Her sudden speech jerked heads towards her, Romani all but flung himself off the sofa and whipped around to face her with wide eyes, though he quickly relaxed when he realised it was just her. Shoulders dropped and a welcoming smile came on his face as he stepped around.
"I didn't hear you come in."
"I'm very sneaky." She answered, stepping forwards and pulling him down into a short hug, planting a chaste kiss on the side of his temple and then stepping back. Rather enjoying the way his cheeks coloured. "But enough about my masterful talents of being a ninja. I see that you've made yourself rather busy."
Romani fidgeted, then brought a hand up and scratched the back of his neck. "They roped me into sitting with them and I didn't know what to talk about…So I was just sort of looking for something that everyone could talk about and Asia, Xenovia and Issei hadn't watched the show before."
Kiba coughed into his fist. "I had already watched it once before but it was more akin to background noise."
She turned her head and raised a brow. "Well, you don't strike me as the sort but here you are."
The blonde brought his shoulders up and down. "It seemed to garner the interest of everyone and it is one of the most popular shows in the underworld."
One of, if not the most, popular shows in the underworld.
Her eyes returned to Xenovia and she felt the amusement rise within her once more, the girl had not yet moved from her spot on the sofa. Rooted down with shock and gradually turning her gaze from the roll of credits and towards the table, her hands dropping still upon her lap and no further words coming from her.
But Leona could not help but feel the urge to tease the poor girl over it.
"What's the matter? You look as though you've seen something shocking."
She leaned forwards, hands resting on her hips and offering a wide smirk to the former exorcist.
Xenovia turned her head, slow and jilted, like a poorly oiled machine and faced her with a stare that one would have expected to be worn on a child being told that it was possible to have numbers less than zero.
"...That was Serafall Leviathan." Her words came out the same as before, toneless and quiet. "That was one of the four great Satans."
"Yes, it was." She answered, nodding her head up and down, tilting it to the side and raising a brow. "Was there something the matter?"
"...That was one of the Satans."
"So you have said."
Xenovia gave another slow blink, then turned her eyes to her feet and stared at them in silence.
Leona laughed at that, shaking her head and straightening out her posture.
She caught the look Romani was shooting her, one that was only mild disapproval but more akin to exasperation.
"Don't look at me like that," she said, rolling her eyes. "When else am I going to get the chance to do something like that? She's probably been told all her life that the Satans are evil monsters and her first encounter with them is literally her having her life saved and then finally seeing them in their natural environment…or as natural as you can get."
He sighed, short and quiet.
His eyes closed and his head shook from side to side. "I showed her that to get her to enjoy it, not to break her mind…"
A pause, her husband turned and then leaned forwards and towards the young girl, she could not see his face but his tone was one of apprehension.
"Did you enjoy it?"
Xenovia was silent for a moment, but only a moment.
"It was…unexpected." She answered, taking in a short breath before continuing further. "But I do not believe it was unpleasant, rather…It is just because she is the Satan that I found myself at a loss…do the others do such strange acts?"
Kiba responded to that. "No, that would just be Lady Leviathan."
It was a small thing, but Leona saw the brief flash of relief shoot across the face of the young girl at the news.
"Well, as long as you liked it." Romani announced, his posture straightening and a hint of pride on his face, turning a pleased smile on Asia.
She could understand why he was so thrilled about the latter, it was obvious that the girl had been getting into it. Doubtless it would give them something to talk about and Leona wasn't sure how long it would be until the girl got around to asking her for an actual magic wand, if she did ask.
Well, she could accommodate that much.
"Does this mean there are more episodes?" Asia asked rather enthusiastically, then quickly fidgeted when the eyes of the room fell on her as one. "I-I mean, there are still the other Lords of Chaos to be defeated s-so…"
"Yeah." Issei chimed in, standing up and pointing to the TV. "And that guy definitely didn't die in that last bout, he probably survived and ran away. He'll probably get saved by his pals or something and then come back with the whole 'so we meet again!' thing going on."
Romani blinked. "You look to be a bit invested in this." he said, with no small amount of surprise or approval on his face.
Issei could only shrug his shoulders. "Hey, the action was actually pretty good…actually, was that even special effects? If they're making this show in the underworld, then that means that all those glitter beams and stuff were really there."
It was a genuine enough inquiry.
Leona shrugged her shoulders, "More than likely." she answered.
Issei made a small noise, then scratched the back of his head before turning his gaze to the clock above the TV, a small noise escaped him that sounded almost strangled. "Yikes, I didn't realise how long I had actually been here…I should probably be heading back, though damn…that was actually a good show. That's really weird."
Romani looked a touch indignant about the comment, something the boy quickly noted.
"Nothing against you, Roman-sensei." A swift wave of the hand accompanied the answer, Issei gestured towards the TV. "It's just that…you know…That's Kaichou's sister there. I mean, I already knew she was famous for being some magical superstar but hearing is one thing and then there is seeing."
Romani paused, then furrowed his brows. "I tried not to think about it, all things considered. I doubt Sona-san would want me thinking about it either. She tries to keep away from that sort of thing, as I figure…"
"Don't see why, it's pretty damn cool." Issei shrugged his shoulders, moving past her husband and towards the door. "I'll have to see if I can find that sort of thing in the future-"
"You can come around and watch it here, Issei-san!" Asia called out as she all but bull rushed him right the way to the door, blowing past the boy and sliding around to face him. The girl centred herself a moment later, pacing for the door and opening it up for him, throwing a gentle smile. "I'm sure that Roman wouldn't mind."
Leona snorted and shot her husband a look, he appeared a little weak to the requests of Asia.
"Yeah, you can come around and watch it with Asia." He didn't hesitate much in giving an answer, but that was just as likely because of the fact he was happy someone else was watching his favourite show. "Same goes for the rest of you, so long as I know people are getting invited round…I'd rather not come home and find half the student body squatting in my living room."
Kiba chuckled as he rose from his seat, stepping past her husband and shaking his head. "I shall endeavour to provide you with warnings for that." he reassured, nodding to the man once. "But I must thank you for the hospitality, Roman-sensei. I realise it was rather sudden of us to appear…"
"Like I said, you can stop by for Asia. She's sort of your family? I think? I still don't know how this peerage thing really works…Akeno-san said it was a family thing but I'm struggling to picture the student council like that."
"It is more for the sake of the Gremory's." Kiba answered, "Peerages depend on their King, but it has long been the way of the Gremory to treat them akin to family."
Romani grunted and folded his arms. "Alright then…"
"Hmmm." Kiba hummed, then strode towards Issei. "I shall provide an escort and walk you home-"
"I'm really getting weirded out by this, man."
"Nonsense. I am being polite and making sure you arrive back home in one piece. It is the courteous thing to do-"
"I'm not a girl!"
"What does being a girl have to do with that?"
"Don't look at me all innocent like!"
Their argument spilled out of the house and then into the patio, right the way past the gate and into the street. Neither one of them really took notice of Asia waving them goodbye, but the girl didn't seem to mind it. She was just smiling with a rather clear thrill on her face. Likely that being one of the first times that had happened.
Asia walked back and towards Xenovia, then inclined her head. "What about you, Xenovia? Do you need to leave as well?"
The exorcist wet her lips as she swiftly stood up. "I would not wish to overstay my welcome and it is late…there is much to consider for tomorrow and…uhm…training needs to take place and the like."
Leona slowly raised a brow as the excuses got thinner and thinner.
Eventually, Xenovia dipped her head down to the ground and dropped her arms to her side. "I-"
"That's alright." Asia stepped forwards and took the wrist of the girl, leading her towards the door. "We can do this again tomorrow if you'd rather be with everyone. I can understand that as well."
"That isn't…" Xenovia tightened her features, then closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Yes, with everyone else."
Leona rolled her eyes and stepped forwards, directing Asia back towards the living room while she came up beside the Devil and led her out of the house. "You could probably just tell her you're uncomfortable being around her."
Xenovia twitched. "...The kindness she shows me is unexpected."
"No it isn't." She said.
"...You are right, it isn't." Xenovia answered, her voice quiet. "I do not know what I was supposed to do there."
"Eh, you're like Asia." Leona excused, patting the girl on the shoulder and ushering her for the gate and onto the street. The blue haired girl turned and faced her once more. "Both just working everything out. She's got a bit of a head start on you, but you'll get there in the end. Oh…and watch out for Romani tomorrow."
Xenovia blinked, then straightened, "You believe him to be in danger?" her eyes narrowed, her body coiled tight like a cat ready to pounce.
While she was pleased to see the girl so defensive, it was over the wrong thing.
"Oh no, but I'm sure he'll be seeing you. If I know him well enough…"
The tension left the girl, replaced only with confusion as she inclined her head. "What?"
"You'll see." Vague words, she turned and strode back to the house, waving over her shoulder and calling out to the girl as she entered. "Thank you for hanging out with Asia. I'm sure the girl is already counting the days until she can kidnap you again."
Leona snorted once the door closed behind her.
When did she get so comfortable letting Devils into her home?
