Idia was staring with rapt attention at the baby photos Ortho had gotten from his good friend Prim, who was more than happy to embarrass her favorite baby cousin. Azul was beyond horrified, but had come to an agreement that Ortho wouldn't share those photos with anyone else...though he had no idea Idia had free access to them because they were going through the NRC network.

"He's so...squishy..." said Idia.

Ortho snickered.

"From what Prim told me, Azul used to be very huggable, but the other kids would make fun of him so he became self-conscious about it. Eventually he started hiding from everyone but the tweels," said Ortho.

"That's stupid," said Idia. "He's one of the smartest, hard working people I know and he's way more interesting than half the vapid morons that others call beautiful. Besides, who wants to date a scarecrow who's so snippy about their food intake?"

Ortho wondered how Idia would react if he knew he was live-streaming this shit straight to Azul's cell phone.

"So you're saying you like Azul?"

Idia blushed heavily, but didn't deny it.

"It's not like he'd give an introverted guy like me a chance."

"Want me to give you a free subscription to Prim's channel?" asked Ortho.

"Seriously?"

"Dude, you really think I don't know you're into tentacles? Give me some credit...I know what damn near the entire school is into by this point."

Idia wisely kept his mouth shut on that.

"Anyway, we still on for game night with Gasper?"

"Yeah," said Idia, perking up again.

He had clicked with Gasper as a surrogate little brother almost immediately once Ortho explained his relationship. Gasper had gravitated towards Idia and ORTHO from the first day of club activities. The two were both highly introverted people, and had a deep love of games and interacting through a screen.

Idia had even upgraded Lilac with a few things to make him more convenient for Gasper to use to live-stream his classes.

So far, Gasper had only activated hid Sacred gear a handful of times, but he had been getting much better at it. Being able to hide behind Lilac to do all the talking was doing wonders, since it meant he wouldn't have to speak directly to others. Idia had already 'donated' one of his spare hoodies for Gasper to wear and hide his face behind, which had lead to several amusing cases of mistaken identity.

A few days after that rather amusing conversation, Idia walked to Ortho's room with an embarrassed and slightly annoyed look on his face.

"You streamed my admiration towards Azul to him," he said.

"Yup. I was tired of you two dancing around the topic," said Ortho. "So how did he react?"

Idia had a massive blush on his face, his hair turning pink.

"That good, huh?"

"He said he expects me to take him on a proper date by next week," said Idia.

"Want some tips?"

"Yes please," said Idia, desperate. Ortho had far more experience than him on this matter, after all.

His hair went an even brighter shade of pink when Ortho sent him a link to several...videos and doujinshi. Almost all of them included an octopus mermaid, and were likely based off Azul's cousin Prim.

Idia's face went even more red when Ortho also included a list of very important "do's and don't" when it came to sleeping with your boyfriend. Top at the list was "Lube is your friend, so long as you don't overdo it."

Azul was torn between embarrassed and relieved that Ortho had made sure his elder brother was very well informed on how to have sex with his new boyfriend. Even if it was a bit weird that his little brother was well informed of what his older brother was doing with his boyfriend.

~*~~*~*

Ruggie looked at Leona incredulous.

"I don't give a shit if you're a prince or not, I am NOT risking the chance of ending up on the wrong end of IDIA."

"What's the Ignihyde housewarden got to do with my plan? It's not like we'd bother targeting his team anyway," said Leona confused.

"Not that Idia," said Ruggie. "I'm talking about the psychotic little shit everyone mistook for his son for a full month before it got cleared up."

Leona stared at him.

"You're scared of a damn robot?"

"Fuck yes I'm scared of him! You've never interacted with that little shit before and there's no way I'm triggering his defense protocols even by accident!" said Ruggie, damn near hysterical at the idea.

"What's he going to do, leak your search history?" snarked Leona.

Ruggie stared at him for several long, awkward seconds.

"Leona...do you know what a Tonberry is?" he asked slowly.

"Haven't a fucking clue. Why?"

"Let's just say that IDIA's username is pretty damn accurate and the main reason I am NOT risking getting on his bad side. And that's before Ortho gets involved!"

Leona stared at him, mostly in confusion.

"You're more scared of pissing off them, than you are of me?" he asked slowly. He didn't see it.

Ruggie stared at him, then realized something. The movie wasn't due to be played for another week at least, and the early release was still three days away.

He took out the phone (that he had gotten from Leona) and called Ortho.

"Hey bossman, quick question. Can you swing an early viewing of that movie for Leona?" asked Ruggie. "Because he doesn't seem to realize there's a reason no sane person would want to piss you off...or go near a motivated Tonberry."

Dead silence on Ruggie's end, but Leona definitely heard Ortho downright howling with laughter on the other end.

Leona looked at the DVD incredulous. However he was morbidly curious, and popped it into the DVD player.

Two hours later, he walked out of his room with a very...odd...expression on his face.

"I take it back, we are not pissing him off," said Leona, a little shaken.

The chase scene had been terrifying, and there was no acting on Ruggie's face when it came to his near death escape. He had been genuinely scared out of his wits, and it took a lot to do that to someone like Ruggie.

Leona knew he had made the right decision when he got an anonymous file that was deleted after he watched it...and he saw the sort of damage IDIA could do if triggered. No way in hell was he pissing that brat off.

~*~*~*~*~

Ortho and Vil's working relationship had settled into something both could live with. Vil's personal star had been rising so much of late that Neige had fallen into second place in the popularity polls. While he had dominated the market among their age group, Vil's popularity had reached the level that the serious contenders were taking an actual notice of him now.

However, Vil didn't want to settle. He wanted a real, honest chance to break out in the industry as a major player in his own right, not hiding under the curtails of Ortho or his adopted father Azazel.

As he vented this to Ortho one evening, while they hammered out some details for the film club, Ortho gained an interesting look on his face.

Vil paused.

"What is it?"

"You want to make a serious entry into the professional scene, without compromising or having to curry favors with those already established, correct?"

Vil knew what he meant. Some people slept their way to the top, but he wanted to earn it on his own merit first. He didn't want to be just another pretty face who was afraid of hard work.

"I want to rise to the top on my own merit, not coast like Neige," said Vil firmly.

Ortho had a speculative expression on his face. He rather liked Vil, who had a genuine drive to improve himself and to a lesser extent those around him. Ortho was really curious how far he could go if given a chance, which was unlikely as most of the movers and shakers Vil admired were connected to one of the Three Factions in one way or another.

Rias and Sona were good people, but they lacked the connections Vil wanted. Serafall was out as well, as she was exceptionally picky about her Pieces, and Vil would have to go to some extreme measures to impress her. And there was no way Vil would be allowed to become a converted angel, as there was already a backlog of applicants. Besides, he highly doubted Micheal would even agree to the idea considering Vil's motivation.

"You said you wanted to make your own production company, or at least your own line of products when you graduate, right?" said Ortho, an idea forming.

"I refuse to compromise when it comes to beauty," said Vil. "Even if it means I have to make my own products."

"I may have an idea that could help your goals. But it would mean some serious compromises, and the system is still in the prototype stages. Plus you'd have to learn how to fight on a higher level than you're used to," said Ortho.

"What sort of compromises?" asked Vil.

"For one thing, we'd become permanent partners. And your product line and production company would have to go through Azazel before it could be approved since he'd be the main sponsor," said Ortho absently. "But you wouldn't have to actively participate in his specialty unless you agreed to it first. You'd be a subsidiary at most."

Vil looked openly thoughtful, and knew this wasn't some idle offer.

Considering how big Grigori productions was, being a subsidiary wasn't a bad thing. At the very least he'd have access to experts in the field who knew what they were doing, and with the number of high class models and experts, he'd have no end of volunteers eager to try out new beauty products.

Vil looked at Ortho seriously.

"Why would I need to learn how to fight at a higher level?" he asked, honestly curious.

Ortho grinned.

"Azazel isn't just the owner of the biggest porn company...he's also the leader of the Fallen Angel faction. Just being associated with him could pose a risk, and he had no shortage of enemies eager to create a chink in his armor. Some of which wouldn't hesitate to go after any new business ventures, and would likely hold you hostage."

Vil stared.

"Fallen Angels are real?"

"Devils, Angels and Fallen are all very real," said Ortho. "I can give you an orientation packet if you're interested."

Vil seriously considered that. From the sound of things, Ortho was offering something akin to a permanent partnership. Though one in which he would be the leader of sorts.

Under most circumstances, Vil would be dismissive of what Ortho could potentially offer. Except he had seen the sort of strides Ortho had made in a few scant months, and knew that this was a moment in which he could either go big or go home. If not for the younger boy, he would have been stuck in the same slump.

"Can I think about it?"

"I can send you a basic information packet of what I'm offering," said Ortho. "Also one for Rook, since there's no way he wouldn't follow you anyway once he realizes what's going on."

Easier to convert them both at once than deal with Rook stalking him for months until he figured it out anyway.

He even had the perfect Class Cards for them both...Ruler for Vil, and Archer for Rook. Sure, they'd need a bit of polishing and an upgrade in regards to their tech, but Ortho saw some major potential in them both. Besides, he was lacking someone who could properly use half the long-range toys he had in his arsenal.

On the plus side, the horror movie he made with IDIA was an absolute smash hit from the first day.

Lantern of Souls was an unexpected blockbuster, with critics praising it for the realistic death scenes and the believable chase scene. IDIA's creepy as hell cackle at the end as the door slowly closed behind him and his golden eyes glowing ominously in the darkness while his little blue lantern slowly moved away from the camera had the audience chilled to the bone.