Chapter 34: Run Before You Walk (Finale)

Basically no one was thrilled to meet the latest additions to the team. Aside from Yumi, Till and the cats themselves for obvious reasons, said felines eagerly chowing down on the leftovers from dinner with varying levels of grace. Kuroka ate calmly and politely but with a clear relish that suggested she approved of the food and wouldn't mind having more, Shirone simply shoveling everything down with a thoroughness that surprised even him.

…Mai and Rin were predictably the more wary of the bunch, Till and Yumi not knowing the duo's reputation as quite the dangerous pair.

Personally Cayman thought the whole situation was hilarious, something straight out of Emperor's New Groove with its awkwardness and simmering resentment versus oblivious cheer.

"Then again I bet Kuroka and Shirone know exactly what they're doing and are just pretending to not notice for shits and giggles."

Sure enough Kuroka pushed her plate away with a satisfied sigh, coyly stating, "Well aren't you the talented little cook? Not quite ten out of ten but a solid, respectable eight."

Shirone just offered a thumbs up, Cayman graciously inclining his head at the words and gesture.

+10 REP with Kuroka and Shirone [15/100]

"Why do you have two extremely notorious, skilled and dangerous criminals calmly eating at your dining table?"

"Well obviously because they're extremely pretty."

Rin's unimpressed glare was answer enough as Mai nervously fingered her various origami tools with blatant unease, Yumi tensing as she slowly asked, "They're dangerous?"

"Easy does it, Yumi. Remember, in the strictest sense of the word we're criminals ourselves since Sanctuary operates outside most forms of law. Mai is a part of a government sanctioned mercenary and assassination organization that also can work under its own authority if push comes to shove. Worst of all, Rin is a member of an organization that pays no taxes."

Yet another nasty glare from the Magus while Mai just accepted his words with self-aware stoicism, Kuroka snickering before she all but purred, "Well aren't we all in the same boat then? Crooks and cats alike in a sinking ship, nya hah hah~!"

"And just why, exactly, is this a sinking ship?"

"Just a figure of speech, no need to get your panties in a twist."

Leaning back in her chair with the air of someone in complete control of both life and their place in it the black cat concluded, "As a pair of poor kitty cats with prices on our heads we work for the highest bidder or the ones who keep us out of the bounty office."

"In this case being Sanctuary. Clever."

Shirone nodded in response to Cayman's words, idly commenting, "Helps that we're pretty skilled and awesome."

"Modest too."

Rin's acidic words merely got a playful light to ignite in the older Nekoshou's eyes, voice a sultry purr as she replied, "Well when you work for the Kaleidoscope on a job-to-job basis you can probably consider yourself pretty talented, right?"

That caused the Magus to pull up short, Kuroka deciding to pour acid salt in the wound as she turned to face the Surveyor, chirping, "He figured you would need a helping hand or two. Considering his apprentice and how tough she seems I think he was pretty spot on with his analysis, nya."

The eye twitching was violent and immediate, Cayman deciding to head off the ensuing argument before it began as he said, "As fascinating as this whole dialogue is fast becoming I think we need to lay down a few ground rules, make sure we're all on the same page before friction and an unclear chain of command becomes an issue. Kuroka, Shirone, what exactly are your rules of engagement and what can or cannot I tell you to do?"

Shirone shrugged as she had somehow snagged a candy bar when he wasn't looking, munching on the treat as she said, "We do anything you order us to do. Within reason. Our contract is with Sanctuary and if we break it we forfeit its aid. Since you're part of Sanctuary that contract extends to you as well."

"So basically don't make them do anything stupid. If Kuroka was willing to become a fugitive for her sake I don't doubt she'll be willing to do it here."

He didn't bother to hide his smirk of amusement as Shirone affixed him with a baleful glare, pointedly stating, "Perverted stuff counts as out of reason."

"After all, that's my job~!"

Till explosively sighed while Mai's eyebrow twitched at the black cat's playful remark, Cayman stating, "You seem to be quite the professional when it comes to riling people up. I'm impressed."

"That's me~!"

Amusement quickly turned into an exhausted yawn, the momentary rush of energy upon the Nekoshou sibling's arrival wearing off as the gamer tiredly announced, "We'll figure shit out in greater detail tomorrow, right now I'm about to fall flat on my face. Everyone okay with that?"

Yumi simply nodded in demure agreement while Rin and Mai seemed as if they wanted to drag him into the nearest soundproof and padded room, Till offering him a burst of emotional sympathy as she no doubt realized that just because he said he was tired didn't mean he was going to be offered any rest.

"Well you do look like you need some beauty sleep, nya. C'mon, Shirone, let's go see what the rest of this place has to offer."

"Kay."

No sooner had the cat siblings strode off - the gamer casting an appreciative look at the way their suits gave a flattering view of their butts - he found himself being unceremoniously hauled away by Magus and Taimanin alike, Yumi hurrying after them more out of a desire to not be kept out of the loop than any real worry.

"You cannot be serious about having them work alongside us."

"Oh? Why ever not?"

"Yeah, what's all this talk about them being these really dangerous people?"

At Till's innocent inquiry Rin's eyes narrowed, explaining in clipped tones, "They're a pair of Yokai that were a part of a Devil noble's Peerage, or at least the older sister was. Until she killed him."

The Fairy didn't so much as blink, responding, "Okay? I mean Cayman has killed a bunch of people but I don't think he's someone worth chasing after or being scared of."

"To be fair you're my faithful companion and favorite lady, Till."

Rolling her eyes at the interplay Rin grumpily said, "It's dangerous because of what happened after, not during."

Mai nodded, adding, "The killing of a noble was no small matter and retribution had to be obtained, no matter the means or motivation behind the murder."

"You know I have it on good authority that Kuroka killed the guy because he threatened Shirone, which wasn't a part of the initial agreement."

Mai blinked at Cayman's remark, slowly responding, "I had heard that in experimenting with Senjutsu she lost herself in the throes of the art, turning deranged and attacking all who were near her."

"Look, the bottom line is that all sorts of mercenaries, bounty hunters and whatever went after the pair and none of them managed to capture them. And I'm not talking about a bunch of half-cocked idiots with more self-assurance than common sense, some of these groups were veteran Enforcers of the Clock Tower."

The Magus nodded in satisfaction as she saw her words finally gain proper traction with the Fairy, Yumi also having enough context to realize how impressive that was.

"So unless you have some kind of incredibly powerful or secret ability to keep them in line we're working with an incredibly dangerous duo who have a history of either insanity or a penchant of murdering those they don't agree or have disagreements with."

Yumi shifted uneasily although she ultimately kept her gaze on Cayman, deferring to his decision on the matter as the gamer merely smiled with good cheer, replying, "No, I'm fairly certain they can pummel me with impunity."

"Then what the hell are you thinking?!"

What felt like a thousandth yawn slipped past his lips, the male sleepily responding, "That we need heavy hitters on our team. No offense to present company including myself but we're not exactly top of the food chain right now, having a pair of allies on call that can punch above our current weight class would be a major boon. While it's an enticing prospect I don't want to have to constantly call on the pair of Longinus wielders to bail us out, that sounds like trouble waiting to happen since Vali and Lavinia will have their own schedules and responsibilities. Trust me on that one."

Mai merely nodded in resigned understanding, Rin and Yumi blinking in rapid succession.

"What? Two Longinus wielders? What in the Root's name do you mean 'two Longinus wielders'?!"

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention that, didn't I?"

A noise a bit like a boiling tea kettle left the Magus while Yumi just seemed in awe at his casual namedropping of two incredibly powerful and influential people.

"Eh, what the hell, I'm surprised too."

"Well I'll explain all of that to you later, it's way past my bedtime one way or another. On a somewhat related note, I appreciate that we're already acting like a team, having discussions like this."

Rin glowered at him, petulantly mumbling, "Not that you seem to be listening to us…"

"Only because a leader sometimes has to make decisions that contradict what his advisors and deputies suggest. Seriously, Rin, don't stop hounding my case. Same goes for everyone else."

+5 REP with Mai Nanase [70/100]

+5 REP with Rin [20/100]

+5 Rep with Yumi Kiba [35/100]

"Damn. I should tell people I value their opinion more."

"W-well if you insist then I guess we don't have much of a choice, do we?"

"Aww, she's blushing."

"No I'm not!"

Till smirked in what could only be a steadily growing interest in teasing humor, Mai and Rin excusing themselves to call it a night as Yumi hesitantly spoke up with, "Umm, I know you're tired but what do you think you would be having the Tojou sisters do?"

"Probably investigation alongside the Demon trio, or maybe going along with me on assignments as backup or under the table dirty work. Why?"

The blonde chewed on her lip, obviously thinking on something incredibly important to her before drawing herself upright, stating, "I'm not as powerful as them nor am I as skilled or knowledgeable as Mai or Rin…but what I can do is something they can't. I want to attend school like Miss Rossweisse suggested and train with Mr. Emiya and Miss Medusa. To gain connections and influence like you suggested."

"I made that suggestion in the hopes that you would also find things to enjoy in life, Yumi. As busy and chaotic my days may seem I do have fun with it, one of the trickiest things in life is balancing both leisure and responsibility and doing so is the best damn feeling in the world."

Thankfully the blonde seemed to take his words seriously, falling silent for a moment before nodding in affirmation, expression resolute.

"I still want to do this. Even if it does turn out to be difficult or outside of my expectations."

Allowing his lips to curve upwards into a smile the gamer responded, "Then welcome to the team, Yumi. Looks like we all have our various responsibilities and tasks figured out."

"Yeah, and don't worry about school or anything like that, you're so pretty and nice I bet you'll have all sorts of friends~!"

"What Till said."

+10 Rep with Yumi Kiba [45/100]

"O-oh, thank you for saying so. W-well good night then!"

Clearly embarrassed by their words the Sacred Gear wielder took off for her room at a swift pace, Cayman and Till sharing amused looks as the male finally seemed to have a chance at getting a good night's rest-

-at least until he found himself unceremoniously hauled into an adjoining room, internally sighing at yet another roadblock to blissful slumber.

"Alright, now what's your set of grievances?"

Lilim, Minasaki and Hastukaze all looked scared out of their minds, nervously glancing around as the Succubus hissed, "What are the Toujou sisters doing here?! Don't you know how stupidly strong and stupidly crazy they are?!"

"Pretty much, yeah. Let me cut right to the chase and ask what you did to piss them off so much because that's clearly what happened here."

Three sets of eyes immediately turned shifty and aversive, Hatsukaze even going so far as to innocently whistle.

"You've got ten seconds to come clean or I'm telling them you're here and free game."

Lilim slumped, nervously pushing her pointer fingers together while dodgily stating, "Well, you see we might or might not have met them previously and even pulled off a caper after they expressed an interest in it. It was a heist from some corporate big wig and we figured there was a big payoff so once we had the goods we kinda, you know…took it and ran?"

"I honestly can't decide if that's brave or retarded of you. Oh who am I kidding, we know which."

"Hey, it almost worked! We basically had them right up until the end and-"

"And? Do go on with this nostalgic tale, I can't wait to hear how it ends~!"

A terrified squeak escaped the Succubus as Kuroka seemingly appeared out of nowhere, no doubt making use of some kind of illusion to sneak past the still under construction entryway and pull the Demon into a tender embrace that suggested the complete and total opposite of tender.

A glance to the side revealed that Shirone had also meandered in, one hand on Minasaki and Hatsukaze's own as the duo looked ready to break out into a nervous sweat.

"Hmm, I thought I smelt pussy and crow in here. You didn't come say hello to me, that really hurts my feelings!"

"H-hello again, Kuroka-sama."

The defeated and apprehensive words had Cayman quirking an eyebrow at the submissive display, wondering where this was going to go as Kuroka continued with, "So you work for this Surveyor as well, hmm? You never call and I had no way of knowing! But that's okay because we're here together and I know all about your particular brand of mischief and bullshit, now don't I?"

"Y-you sure do!"

Kuroka's golden eyes turned positively malevolent and entertained in equal measure as her hand drifted down towards the Demon's hips.

"And do you remember the punishment for being naughty?"

Like a striking snake the Nekoshou's fingers slipped past the fabric of the Succubus' undergarments, curving inwards as a startled squeak left the smaller girl and turned her skin an enticing shade of red, spaded tail standing straight in shock until Kuroka's own swaying appendages capture it an a hug just as inescapable.

"I-I remember, I remember! Not again!"

Wild, slitted eyes turned towards Cayman in a clear request for help despite the shortness of breath and stiffening nipples available for public viewing.

"A-a little help here? Sexual harassment in the work place, SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE-hya~"

The plea for help was somewhat undercut by the breathy gasp that directly followed it, Cayman giving Till a sidelong glance from where she was perched on his shoulder as the Fairy clearly fought her inner Demons on which course of action to take. On the one hand, someone was in 'trouble' and needed help. On the other, she was no doubt still remembering all the times Lilim had annoyed her or indirectly made fun of her contractor.

Cayman found the sight rather endearing, the good girl trying to decide if she wanted to be a bad girl.

"U-umm, please help Lilith? From one Demon to another?"

"Yeah, the last time the crazy black cat did that to us we couldn't walk straight for a week."

Cayman turned to his Fairy at the Yatagarasu's pleas, bluntly stating, "Leave em' alone, this I have to see."

"Pervert."

"Guilty as charged."

Brushing off Shirone's dry comment his words seemed to have pushed the Fairy into the realm of lending a helping hand - just like he figured it would - as she gave him a pointed look.

"Alright, alright…it's way too late for this anyway. Kuroka? The circus trio are on my payroll and keeping them from doing their jobs is a no no, especially since they already did pretty good work for me earlier."

The Yokai paused in her fondling to give him an arched eyebrow of disbelief.

"Yeah, I know. They're dolts. But that hasn't been an issue yet."

Eventually shrugging in a clear lack of concern Kuroka released her hold on the Succubus, withdrawing her fingers with a flourish and snap of her tails as the Demon shuddered…and basically teleported behind the Surveyor alongside her two friends, all of them peeking out from behind his back like some kind of Scooby-Doo skit.

"You three try to mess with those two and that's your problem, not mine. But if that doesn't happen then we're all on the same side, clear?"

"Oh alright, I guess I can behave myself. For a little while~!"

The Demon trio just frantically nodded before scampering away without a backwards glance…not that they needed to.

+10 REP with Lilim [70/100], Minasaki [45/100] and Hatsukaze [45/100]

"Seriously though, what did you do to them?"

Cayman's bemused question was met with a bland response from Shirone, the smaller Nekoshou explaining, "Bis sis went full perv on them, that's what."

Supremely smug expression on her face that only a cat could manage the raven-haired Yokai recalled, "It's just that they talked a good game about being experienced seducers and whatnot that I just had to see if they were the real deal! Turns out they weren't, poor little ladies were basically one step above blushing virgins."

His interest in the topic finally breaking under the weight of creeping exhaustion the gamer waved a hand, replying, "Well with that taken care of good night and see you tomorrow, I'm minutes away from total shutdown here."

He strode off…and sighed as the cats perfectly followed in lockstep, Till pointedly remarking, "We're going to our room now, thank you."

"And he did say we could pick whatever room we wanted, now didn't he?"

The false innocence Kuroka exuded wasn't fooling Till in the slightest, the Fairy ready to give them a peace of her mind-

-and noticed her contractor on his last legs, huffing out a breath before replying, "Fine. But no funny business!"

"If he can get it up in this state then he's even more of a perv than I thought."

Shirone's mildly amused comment was added to by Kuroka as she maidenly proclaimed, "Sorry, it's just that I need to have a strong, manly body to cozy up to in order to feel safe at night~!"

"Sorry to disappoint you but I'm a scrawny magic caster."

Entering his room and promptly shucking off his pants and shirt for a looser ensemble he heard the black cat murmur, "Oh I don't know about that…"

Taking a moment to do final night rituals he exited his bathroom a moment later, blinking past blurry and exhausted vision as both cats had peeled off their suits, clad in simple and unremarkable gray sports bras and underwear as Kuroka brushed out her sister's hair with a comb he'd left lying around.

"...Man, why did they have to do this when I'm so exhausted I can't even produce the prerequisite hormones to feel excited?"

Flopping onto his bed and allowing Till to curl up at the base of his neck he sleepily asked, "You don't seem all that worried about sharing a bed with a perv, Shirone."

"No touching my butt or boobs or I break your arms."

"Fair deal."

With surprisingly little fanfare the pair of Yokai made themselves at home right alongside him, nuzzling into his flanks as the gamer couldn't help but internally sigh.

"Yeah. Definitely trying to butter me up. Kuroka would probably do this to be a tease but Shirone as well? Guess that seals it, Zelretch has them here to keep an extra set of eyes on me."

He found that he was fairly unconcerned about that state of affairs. Just like with Under Eden people had been operating under the assumption that he was some kind of secret mastermind or evildoer out to serve himself and only himself, not a guy who was aiming to play nice with the people he knew he could trust.

So they were watching him, who gave a shit? All they were going to find was a guy dedicated to ensuring the world kept itself together long enough to enjoy what pleasures and vistas there were to enjoy.

With that thought in mind he wrapped both cats in his arms, gently pulling them close while still keeping his hands to himself.

+5 REP with Kuroka and Shirone [20/100]

"And Sybaritic Initiate is going to make that process all the easier, now isn't it?"

That thought had time to percolate within his gray matter before exhaustion overtook him in its entirety.