He who was just an ordinary man

VIII

When going into meetings with an unknown factor, acting from a position of strength was a key part of it. However, that was the danger of the unknown factor. While your own strength was indeed known to you - perhaps from a biased opinion, Sona would freely admit that - it could just as easily be known to your opponent as well.

Such as the case with Leona Archaman.

She was clearly no fresh faced child when it came to the world of mystics, as a result there was no telling how much she was actually aware of when compared to the grand total of nothing that her husband knew about. If he knew nothing at all, which wasn't a guarantee. Although from what Rias had said, he looked genuinely surprised at the sudden appearance of his wife when she arrived to collect him.

Whether that was due to her blowing her cover to retrieve him or simply that she even arrived at all as well as the manner of her arrival was not something she was aware of. That said, it was a more widely accepted theory between both Peerages that Romani Archaman had no knowledge of Devils, Fallen and Angels until he was attacked by one yesterday.

The problem was that everyone had a decent understanding of Romani's personality, he was an individual whom they could subtly push into the correct direction, or at least a beneficial one. Manipulation was a rather ugly word but taking advantage of his ignorance was a given when easing someone into such situations.

No one had ever met Leona Archaman before today, Sona only knew of her by virtue of the woman being listed as the next of kin. That was it, she had been written off as a non-factor which had evidently turned out to be an oversight on her part.

Which led them to this situation as of now.

"Inside here." Sona informed the woman behind her as she fell to a halt in front of the Student Council room, she was rewarded with a simple hum of affirmation from the brunette as she reached for the handle and then clicked it open, pushing the door wide and stepping into the rather spartan room.

A singular desk lay at the other end with a chair behind it, the desk itself was mundane, simple oak wood design with several draws on the right and left hand side to store documents within it and a space on top where there was a small holder for pens and pencils. All of which were very neatly put into an order.

Lining the walls on either side were more shelves, all of which had folders and boxes stacked up with labels detailing their specific contents with dates and names.

It was a perfectly ordered room.

Sona had spent a great deal of time keeping it as such.

The Student Council President didn't stop for a moment, moving across the length of the room and sending a nod of acknowledgement to Rias and Akeno as she did so, the pair sitting on the chairs just in front of the desk itself as they turned towards Leona with not so subtle looks of interest. Sona would have to remind herself that Rias was not quite as adept in the art of subtly as she liked to think she was.

Moving around the desk, she turned on her heel to face the brunette once again, her own magenta coloured eyes bore into sapphire blue as she slid out the chair to her side and parked herself upon with with grace befitting her status and quietly slid forwards before resting her arms upon the wood.

Leona scanned the room with a blank expression, taking note of every detail and seemingly searching for something before she hummed to herself once and silently counted the number of people in the room.

"No gallery?" She asked aloud, inclining her head to the side as Tsubaki shut the door behind them with a click. The bounded field around the room activated to ward off any passers-by who might need something, a simple spell to tell them that there was no real need to go to the student council room for the time being.

"There is no need to bring the rest of my peerage." Sona replied cordially as she pressed the rim of her glasses further up her nose "This is still a simple discussion and their presence would paint a rather different picture."

"And the presence of two heiresses of Pillar families accompanied by their Queens doesn't?" Leona replied with a raised eyebrow and a look of thin amusement, crossing her arms under her chest and leaning back "I doubt the rest of your peerages would even be required, or at least you'd assume so."

Rias snorted "There is a grain of truth to that." she admitted before she leaned back in her own chair, crossing one leg over the other "But it is just that Akeno is more versed in Devil politics than the others in my peerage and…well." she smiled "Issei is rather new, do be sure to thank Romani-sensei on my behalf for protecting my precious pawn."

Leona's eyes flickered to her "I would remind you to watch what you say, considering that could be viewed as a not so subtle threat."

Sona had to withhold a sigh, maintaining a perfect mask even as Rias blinked in confusion. Akeno seemed to grasp the meaning a second before she did, Rias problem was that she was rather genuine in her praise but when talking about it in such a situation, it really didn't sound all that nice.

"Hm?" Rias furrowed her brows before her eyes widened slightly, after a moment she returned to her usual expression "Ah, my apologies. I was being genuine in my gratitude, I meant nothing by it."

Leona gave a dubious hum before she glanced around the room once again "...Rather dull in here, isn't it?"

Sona blinked once "Excuse me?"

"This room." She frowned, reaching up with her right hand and cupping her chin "It's very bland. Lacking in creative flair. Vanilla." a hand gestured to the walls "Couldn't you have put up a few pictures? Perhaps have a small model of your desk?" she gave a dramatic sigh "Honestly, it's like creativity is sucked out of this room."

The short haired girl pursed her lips "The state of this room is irrelevant." she pressed onwards, trying to shift away from the pointless topic "It is a place to conduct work, not an art gallery."

"Why can't it be both?" Leona asked in an almost innocent tone before an amused smile came upon her face and she gestured to herself "I work from home as well and make sure it's perfectly comfortable. There's nothing to say that professionalism requires your working environment to be lifeless." she paused, squinting at the corner of the room before she snapped her fingers and pointed at it "Maybe put a potted plant there, or a little bonsai tree on your desk."

Sona looked at the woman for a few moments in silence, her eyes flickered behind her to Tsubaki who looked equally flummoxed by the topic of conversation.

Then there was Rias and Akeno.

Both of whom were looking rather amused by the situation and relaxed somewhat.

Leona scanned the empty seat opposite the desk that was also parallel to Rias and Akeno, her eyes remained on it for a few more seconds before they flickered over to Sona in a meaningful fashion.

Sona wordlessly gestured to the chair as an offering, Leona moved around it before sitting herself down and crossing her right leg over her left leg, leaning back into the rest and maintaining her relaxed posture.

"...Maybe some cushions as well?"

"Enough." Sona cut her off before she started to go into catalogue numbers and the actual designs for chairs to be placed in her office. That and she was running short of patience when wanting to address the elephant in the room. "My interior decorating skills are not the purpose of this meeting."

Leona looked back over to her before she slowly nodded her head "No, I suppose they aren't." she chuckled "If they were this would likely go on for a long, loooong time." a confident smile spread across her lips "I'm quite talented at it, in case you ever want to trade notes."

"Hm." Sona merely grunted in response, crossing her arms and staring at the woman across the desk "You are a magician."

Leona didn't deny the accusation, it wasn't like she could to begin with. Instead merely smiling in response and nodding once.

"A Stray-"

"Freelance." Leona did speak at that point, correcting the girl mid-sentence with a single raised finger. "Stray makes me sound…less certified."

"And freelance does not?" Akeno inquired in a purely innocent tone, resting a hand on her cheek and leaning her head into it. "Is it not a more polite way of saying mercenary?"

Leona paused before giving a shrug of the shoulders "I suppose, but it also puts me in the same vein as freelance decorators. Not too many people care whether or not your painter comes from a company do they?" she paused for a moment "Also being your own boss is very liberating."

Sona raised a lone eyebrow at her "Your business practice aside, that is not what we are here to discuss." she leaned forwards, resting her arms on the table and narrowing her eyes "We are here to discuss your being here without our knowledge."

The woman inclined her head slightly, giving her a perfectly innocent expression "Oh? But I did tell you."

Sona squinted at her "What? No you-"

"You have my name and number right next to Romani's." She further explained, still maintaining a tone that sounded genuine. "You even have my address along with that. You can't say that you didn't know that I was actually in Kuoh. " she gestured towards the girl while giving an innocent shrug "I can't be held responsible if you don't look further into my career beyond what I wrote down."

Sona frowned heavily at her "That is a thin reasoning at best. I shall do you the courtesy of assuming that you are aware of what is required for you to enter Devil territory, are you not? Namely permission to-"

"Conduct any and all magical rituals that require the usage of ley lines within the territory and or locations for large scale rituals." Leona rattled off rather easily "For active mages, I might add. The only thing I really used in Kuoh was the internet to make long distance calls, any and every business transaction I conducted occurred outside of the town."

"So you admit to being active?"

"Well, active in the sense I sometimes make a magical construct at home." She admitted, leaning back and giving an amused smile "I actually made Roman a watch recently, I might have used a little magic in that." she sent a glance to Rias "It automatically changes when it enters a new time zone."

Rias chuckled at that "Perfect for out of the country holidays?"

"Exactly." Leona nodded her head before giving a dramatic sigh "Now if only he could catch the hint-"

"Your reasoning is-is pedantic!" Sona accused, stabbing a finger towards the woman and scowling openly "This is a clear admission of a breach of protocol, you failed to adhere to the correct guidance and remained in our territory without our authorization."

Leona nodded her head "I suppose that's true enough." she admitted, crossing her arms once again and tapping away on her upper arm before she inclined her head slightly "So how did a Fallen end up in your territory?"

Sona paused for a moment "Excuse me?"

"A Fallen." Leona repeated with a raised eyebrow before she sent a pointed look towards Rias and Akeno "You know, black bird wings, banished from Heaven…that group? What were they doing in your territory?"

"That is not part of our-"

"I like to think it is." Leona politely cut her off with a smile that was slightly to sharp to be genuine "I mean, considering that my husband is currently back at my house-" throwing a thumb over her shoulder to punctuate the remark "-lying on the sofa with a rather nasty wound courtesy of a light spear that he apparently got from being in a crossfire between a devil and a fallen angel." she looked between the two groups "And how did that happen?"

Sona leaned back, tapping her finger on the desk as she looked towards Rias for a few seconds before back at Leona.

"That was…my error." Rias replied in a slow tone, a moderately guilty look on her face "I was recently inducting a new pawn into my peerage and, well…we are devils and they are Fallen."

"I know why they attacked you." Leona remarked with a sigh "I'm just curious as to how they were even in a position to do so?" she turned to Sona and gave an expression of mock surprise "Don't tell me that they invaded your territory?" she paused and raised her hands "Or maybe they're here with your permission and just so happen to wander the streets attacking devils on sight."

She smiled again "Which is it?"

"The Fallen are our concern-"

"Were." Leona corrected "And evidently it required my husband who - until yesterday - was unaffiliated with such things to rush out and apparently save the life of a devil." she cut her off, frowning as she did so "I am left…astounded by the implication."

"As am I." Sona shot back "Moving into the territory of a Devil and then keeping your identity a secret has alarming implications in it of itself." Leona remained silent, giving the girl a blank expression which prompted her to continue "It means that you are either a fugitive from another faction or have hostile intentions against the devils here."

"Hostile intentions?" Leona parroted back, then made a show of looking over her shoulder "That seems a bit of a jump." she hummed "I suppose not an unfair suspicion. It is completely wrong but not unfair."

"Oh?" Rias leaned forwards "Then what are your intentions?"

Leona smiled back "Romani liked scenery and there was a job opening as a school nurse."

Sona blinked "Excuse me?"

"Roman." Leona repeated the name, turning to stare at her with a perfectly innocent expression "We had a little tour and Roman said he liked it. There was a job opening at the school here as a nurse and he wanted to move so I said yes."

"You…what?"

"Is that so surprising?" Leona asked as she leaned back and raised an eyebrow "I just moved with my husband, if you're asking my intentions it was to live quietly and let Roman enjoy his career."

"If that is all your motives were, then why the secrecy?" Rias asked as she inclined her head marginally "What is the harm in merely alerting us to your presence."

Leona raised an eyebrow "Because then you'd know all about me on a more professional level." she sighed, pointing to herself "See, when I say freelance what you hear is stray." she paused "And that's not what I am. A stray magician is someone without any connections at all and can be taken advantage of because of their rather unfortunate conditions."

"And you have connections?" Akeno asked, Leona nodded her head in response.

"When you work freelance, you tend to pick up a fair few. I've done work for all sorts of groups." She gave a wink "I'm just that good. But Devils are both my favourite and ironically my worst customers."

Sona raised a lone eyebrow "Oh?"

"You're greedy." Leona simply replied with "That's just how you are. It's good when I'm doing business because it means I can get more out of a contract but the benefit is that they know my work there is temporary, also they don't know where I live." she added on, looking around the room "Now you lot, you're young devils who are rather up and coming. Your peerages for the most part aren't complete yet and I know how you always look for more talent."

She leaned back into her chair, sporting a confident smile as she gestured to herself "Now, having me of all people show up on your doorstep? That is a true miracle."

"My, my." Akeno giggled, she and Rias exchanging looks "Someone is rather confident, I suppose you have enough for both you and Romani-sensei?

"Well, someone has to." Leona chuckled lowly before shaking her head "Besides, I know how good I am and if we started to work together you'd see it as well. However, it's not just me living here, there's also Romani living here as well." her eyes hardened "And…well…he's not so great at what I do."

Sona narrowed her eyes, working up the implication in her mind before she ceased tapping against the desk "You believe we would force you into a Geas contract by threatening your husband."

"I'm saying that you might." Leona raised her hands in a placating fashion when she saw the slightly insulted looks around her "I personally don't know any of you so how can I be sure what you will and will not do. I'm not just a golden egg, I'm the goose that lays the eggs and there'd be very few devils who wouldn't want to keep me from…wandering off."

Rias slowly nodded her head "I see. So you keep attention to yourself to a bare minimum in the hopes of avoiding us." she paused "How long was this to be your intent?"

"For however long we were living here." Leona unabashedly admitted, raising an eyebrow "Or at least until I could be certain of your character." she sighed "Dealing with the Church and the Fallen is much easier because they can't really force me into binding agreements like Devils can."

"Forceful reincarnation." Sona scowled "You are aware-"

"That it is illegal? Yes but so is murder and people still do that." Leona countered her with a roll of the eyes "And very easily swept under the rug if the one doing it has enough power. Now, perhaps I overestimate your reach but I would assume that Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri would have more than enough influence to hide away a forceful reincarnation of myself into your service."

Tsubaki decided to speak up for the first time during the meeting, staring at the back of Leona's head with mild confusion. "If that is the case, why would you come to visit us now?"

"It is not like I have a choice at this point." She sent a pointed look towards the crimson haired girl "You've seen my face and know Roman's face as well. Short of killing you, there is little that I can actually do anymore and…well…that would certainly make things worse."

"Is that some manner of threat?" Rias asked with both eyebrows raised and half smile, despite her casual posture. Leona very clearly picked up on the subtle shift in the room. Especially from Akeno next to Rias, the girl's posture altered slightly and made it clear she could jump to her feet at any moment.

"More of a hypothetical." Leona placated the group with a single raised hand "And as damaging to myself as it would be to all of you." she blew out air from between her teeth and flicked her hair around. "Besides, I'm not quite that fond of violence."

"Is that so?" Rias asked, leaning forwards and resting her chin on her fist as she propped her elbow on her knee "Given our encounter last night, you seemed somewhat prepared for an altercation." she gestured a hand to the woman "How am I to know that remark is purely hypothetical?"

"Emotions were high and you had something I feel very passionately about." Leona excused "I'm sure if one of your own peerage was in danger, you would respond in an equally forceful manner."

Rias stared at her for a few more moments before she raised her head once again and slowly nodded it, conceding the point without words.

"That being said…" Leona carried on, closing her eyes and allowing her lip to slowly morph into a grateful smile "Despite my reservations, Romani is still alive so…thank you for that." her eyes opened up, showing genuine relief "Truly."

"Think nothing of it." Rias raised her hand, dismissing the notion "Archaman-sensei dealt us a good turn, it is only right that we repay that debt to him."

Sona coughed once, drawing the pair's attention back to her "If we are done with the distracting topics, perhaps we can return to the true purpose of this conversation to begin with." she reminded them before her eyes fell on Leona with her head inclining itself ever so slightly "And what do you intend to do now that you have been made? Considering you admit to aiding the enemies of the Devils-"

"Was that not already implied when I was freelance?" Leona replied with a knowing look "And I've done work for more than the three factions. I'm neutral, I just make things, what people do with them is beyond my control."

"Hmmm. That aside, you are now left in the extremely awkward position of being made." Sona continued on "And what exactly is your solution?"

"Well then…" Leona leaned back into her chair "You now have a freelance inventor at your doorstep who would be indebted to you for a breach in protocol. That could entitle you to…perhaps a few discounts?"

Sona gave her an incredulous expression "Excuse me? A-are you attempting to use this as an opportunity to market your skills?"

"I'm a daring person."

"I'll say." Rias chuckled lightly, cupping her chin and nodding her head slowly "And what is it that you make?"

"That depends on what you actually want." Leona carried on, turning to the woman with a faint smile "Of course, I would still be expecting payment."

"Ho? First you demand business from us and then demand payment as well?" Rias raised both her eyebrows and gave a huff of disbelief "There is daring and then there is foolishness."

"Consider it an act of repayment on your part for harm caused to my husband." Leona replied back with thin lips "Especially considering it occurred under your watch, it seems."

"Rias-" Sona made to speak before the red haired girl raised a hand in her direction.

"Wait a moment, Sona…I'm rather intrigued now." She spoke in a slow and very interested tone of voice "As you understand, there would have to be concessions on your side as well. Especially considering the situation we have at the moment." she paused, leaning back and looking towards the ceiling as she tapped a single finger against her chin "Say…one year of discounted service to us." she smiled "Myself and Sona both with any additional contracts requiring our express approval first."

"A temporary contract?" Leona raised an eyebrow at her "Not permanent?"

"Having someone work under you who is bitter about their environment would make for poor practice and you would likely look for ways to sabotage us." Rias shrugged her shoulders "That and the Gremory family find that people work best when in a more flexible agreement, is that not so?" the girl paused as she made a visible effort to think "What was it you said earlier? 'There's nothing to say that professionalism requires your working environment to be lifeless'. I like that."

Leona tilted her head "Hmmm."

Before either Leona or Sona could respond to the rather bold declaration, Rias raised a single finger "Provided - of course - you could assure quality. Considering this is a rather bold risk for us as well." a beat "If we are indeed to make an agreement."

"Tell you what." Leona leaned forwards, resting elbow on her knee and using it to prop her chin up with a fist "How about I showcase my other works and you can come to a conclusion yourself?" her eyes flickered to Sona "Provided you are both in agreement."

"Rias." Sona spoke in a clipped tone of voice "Might I speak with you privately for a moment?"

"Naturally." Rias flicked her hair, giving Leona a final smile before she nodded to Akeno. The Queen stood up from her seated position and turned to Leona before gesturing to the door. The brunette made no effort to resist, quickly standing to her feet and following the dark haired woman outside of the room while being flanked by Tsubaki.

The door shut behind them as they exited with a gentle click.

"Hm." Leona hummed and looked across to Akeno "So what's Roman like at school?"

Akeno raised an eyebrow before she hummed "Well…everyone has good things to say about him but…" she smiled "He is rather…well-"

"Lazy? Hopeless?" Leona chuckled at Akeno's surprised expression "Gets anxious remarkably easily as well. Sounds about right. Is he happy though?"

The girl blinked "Shouldn't you know?"

"You'd think so." Leona smiled thinly "Who knows as of late…well?"

"...He is both liked and disliked." Akeno responded bluntly, earning a serious look from Leona "His cordial approach with all students also extends to the perverted trio which has led to more than a few rumours but most just pass it off as Romani-sensei being much too kind for his own good. At the same time, he is no role model."

"I think he would be relieved to hear that."

"Most assuredly." Tsubaki responded from behind her "He spends much less time concerned for his own state of being and more so for the students, forgoing his own responsibilities at times to remind others of their own needs to relax." the girl released a light sigh "Problematic to say the least."

"Hmmm." Leona hummed in response before she looked at the door "I wonder what they are talking about in there?"

"You, most likely." Akeno chuckled lightly "And I very much doubt that Lady Sitri is pleased after you went and riled her up."

"What do you mean by that?" Leona asked, fluttering her eyelashes in an expression of faux ignorance "I simply answered the questions she asked me."

"She's an unknown element with no regard for even the basic tenets of civility." Sona bluntly stated as she stared at Rias with a hint of annoyance "And you intend to entreat with her? After nearly a year of her all but making a fool out of us?"

"I believe it lends credence to her skill, if anything else." Rias countered, crossing her arms and tilting her head "Besides…" she gave Sona a cheeky smile "It's not like she was completely unknown now, was it?"

Sona glared at her "Do not try to use that line of reasoning. It's paper thin." closing her eyes, she leaned back "Besides, there is still the case of the attack on the abandoned apartment block that nearly harmed my peerage."

"You think it is her?"

"Considering it involved Romani Archaman? Yes I do." She declared as she leaned back into her seat "Who else would have motivation to rescue him?"

Rias frowned, "I'm not so sure."

"Hm?"

"She claimed until yesterday, did she not?" Rias continued on at Sona's look of puzzlement "If she were to make a further point, why would she not bring up the example of the Stray Devil as further proof of our assumed lack of control."

Sona opened her mouth to respond before she paused and frowned "...Hmmm. She was candid about everything else." she conceded "For her not to press the issue of strays would be peculiar." she scowled "Would that not then point towards yet another group in Kuoh without our express knowledge?"

Rias didn't look thrilled by the topic either "Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, we cannot dismiss the possibility now. She is also correct about the issue of the Fallen, they have roosted in the abandoned church without informing us for permission. Old base for them or not, that claim hasn't been used in decades."

"True." Sona tapped away at the desk "Rogue element?"

"Perhaps, however, I shall wait and see." Rias carried on "They are there for a purpose and until I am certain what it is, I shall not take the risk. That being said, I will confront them sooner rather than later at the rate the situation progresses."

Sona shook her head "We have gotten off topic." she pointed at Rias "You are trying to make a deal with a stray-"

"Freelance."

"A mercenary." Sona carried on "One whom we know next to nothing about." she paused "Have you received word on-"

"Sona." Rias interrupted her with pursed lips "This and that are two separate matters. I still have more than enough time…besides, what is there to lose? If she cannot assure basic quality then we have full rights to exile her from the town and enforce such a statement."

"Considering she ignored the basic concept of registration-"

"I believe her excuse was avoiding confrontation."

"Considering where she now stands, she has not done a spectacular job at that."

"Had it not been for Romani-sensei, we would not have known of her in the first place." Rias pointed out "Whether you wish to admit it or not, she did avoid us for over a year and it was only external factors which forced her hand."

Sona gave a grim face before she huffed, crossing her arms "Be that as it may, this is a risk that you intend to draw my peerage into as well."

"Alright, then I'll make it an exclusive contract with myself." Rias shrugged her shoulders "That would be simple enough? That way the only one at risk is me."

"You would also be the only one to benefit from it." Sona pointed out while rolling her jaw, staring up at Rias with narrowed eyes before she rose up from her desk "...This is…" she sighed and looked down "Just like you. Always following your gut."

"It hasn't gone wrong so far." Rias pointed out with a shrug "That being said, I'm not advocating for complete trust and it's not like she isn't also at risk here. She now has the attention of both of us and all the privileges that entails." she gestured between the two of them before pointing to the door. "For her to make a move against either of us would invite some hefty repercussions down onto her and it's not like anyone would protect her."

Sona sighed and looked down at the table. "You are being strung along."

Rias hummed in response "Is that what you believe?"

"Truthfully? Yes." Sona replied with all the bluntness of a hammer "She is an admitted 'freelance' mage." she reminded her peer with a light frown "She cannot rely upon the reputation of larger mage associations, therefore she must make business in her own fashion. She is a peddler of goods with nothing but her own charisma to rely upon and you are letting her sink her hooks into you."

"There is no need to be so dramatic." Rias rolled her eyes at the girl, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back slightly "She's a mage who is making her own way in the world without being subject to the reputation of her peers. Hardly a great crime."

"I'm not complaining about her choice in career, I'm commenting on the fact she showed blatant disrespect to us." Soan stressed the word "To you and me. This territory is supposed to be under our authority and in the last week there has been one murder conducted by unregistered Fallen, an attack on your peerage by another which resulted in injury to a civilian, the reveal of one stray wizard who has been here for a considerable length of time and evidence there might be another stray still unaccounted for."

She sighed heavily, reaching up and rubbing under her glasses "I am aware you have a penchant for taking risks but this? This isn't just a risk…this is foolhardy. Are you forgetting about her not so subtle threat of death against us?"

"And how she instantly said that doing so would be stupid?" Rias gave a playful roll of the eyes "She doesn't strike me as too great a fool and if she was going through all this effort to keep herself hidden, she's hardly likely to try and kill either one of us." there was a pause as she flicked her hair back. "And if it is a risk you comment on, then I am confident that it shall pay off." she countered swiftly, thinning her lips "And you need not remind me of the implications of the recent string of events, I am not so blind to the repercussions. However, it can also be turned to our own advantage." she leaned forwards, resting her palms on the desk.

"Really?" Sona raised a dubious eyebrow "How so?"

Rias smiled, "She's been to other places, far beyond what we have." she explained "Therefore, we can naturally assume that she has some manner of clientele in other regions and factions."

"You assume she has connections." Sona realised, leaning back and frowning lightly "And you would seek to make use of them?" she shook her head "It would not work, not least of all because her business would rely heavily on agreements between herself and her clients, to say nothing of whether a Geas is involved in the transaction or not."

The crimson haired girl raised an eyebrow "Yes? I know that much." she responded with a puzzled tone of voice before shaking her head "No, what I was after is information on other factions in general. She would have a far better chance of getting information than either of us would be by virtue of being a human. She can ask around for some vague information then pass it along to either of us."

"You mean to be kept aware of matters outside our territory?" She frowned "Why would such…" she trailed off, then closed her eyes "I see. This is about the Grigori here, isn't it?"

"There would have to be a few rumours circulating around them." Rias replied with a shrug of the shoulders "And who is to say this would be the first time this could occur either?"

"She is not an information broker."

"No…but she could know one." Rias pointed out "And she could know one who isn't adverse to dealing with Devils." there was a pause "Besides…it keeps us from being dependent on information handed down to us. As recent events have shown us, surprises have been more than a little…troublesome."

"I trust you realise the irony involved in using a Stray who was keeping herself secret from us to uncover information that was kept secret from us." Sona pointed out dryly before she tapped her fingers on the desk "...This is your risk to take, however I will not be left in the dark in regards to this situation. I want regular updates from her in regards to what she is constructing unless you order otherwise."

"We should probably discuss that with her." Rias pointed out before she looked over her shoulder at the door "...She's rather intriguing though, isn't she? Certainly a juxtaposition to the dear nurse."

"Opposites attract, as they say." Sona responded before she thinned her lips "Do you think she is aware of Archaman-sensei's latest developments?" she asked with a raised eyebrow "Especially his encounter with a Stray Devil and his rescue at the hands of perhaps another stray magician?"

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

The three were led back into the room, Leona noted that Rias looked far more relaxed than she had previously, along with Sona seemingly - while not comfortable - much less tense.

Meaning they had come to an agreement as to what would occur next.

"I suppose you've reached a decision?" She asked, leaning on her side and crossing her arms over her chest, her head tilted slightly "Am I in danger?"

"No." Rias answered with a confident smile "We have decided to…enlist you, provided your boasts can be substantiated." she added on almost as an afterthought "As well as other factors that would be of use to us."

Leona hummed in response but didn't answer, eyes flickering between the two of them.

"As you can understand, this is a rather significant risk for the both of us." Sona continued on, leaning over her desk and resting her arms on the surface, her eyes briefly moving to Rias before back to Leona "However, despite your actions you have not committed a serious crime aside from a breach in procedure." she thinned her lips "Unless you have information on the explosion in the old apartment complex that occurred last week?"

She was rewarded with the woman stilled and her eyes narrowing "...Why do you ask?" she responded after a few moments.

"Because it involves your husband." Sona watched her expression closely "...You do not appear surprised by this?"

Leona raised an eyebrow at the woman "Why would I be?" she exhaled "He encountered a stray devil and you saved him, I wasn't so ignorant but he came back without knowing anything so I assume you just saved him and wiped his mind."

Sona didn't respond before a slight tightening of her lips before she spoke again "Are you aware of any other stray groups within Kuoh without our knowledge?"

"At the moment? Just me." The brunette paused, "To my knowledge."

"Hmmm." Sona hummed in response "Regardless, Rias will be the one conducting the further agreement however it shall involve myself as well. Purely on an information side rather than a practical one."

Leona raised an eyebrow and hummed in acknowledgement as she turned towards Rias and inclined her head toward her, smiling lightly "So, my genius has ensnared you has it?"

Rias actually chuckled at the remark, resting a hand on her hip "When someone does something as bold as you and keeps staying confident for this long…" she shrugged and gave an innocent smile "I just get a little bit curious, is all."

"I'm sure." Leona uncrossed her arms, mirroring the posture of Rias "And I'm sure it will involve what we discussed before your private conversation?"

"As a start."

"Geas?"

"Naturally."

"Smart." Leona admitted with a nod of the head before her expression turned serious "Roman doesn't get involved." she all but demanded "You stay away from him, this is between you and me. He doesn't so much as see a shadow of your wings."

Rias thinned her lips "He would still be aware, you know how hard it is to apply memory altering magic on-"

"I worry about that, you just keep him away."

"...And if he should approach us instead?"

Leona rolled her jaw before her posture loosened slightly, as if resigned to something "Roman is his own man. If he chooses to approach you then that's fine but anything that relates to mystic business, you come to me…you can treat him as if you're just students but nothing official."

"That's more than fair." Rias responded with, nodding once at her "I suppose all that remains is to draw up a simple contract and examine what we would be working with." she paused for a moment as she realised something "You have not yet asked what would occur to you if your merchandise does not meet my expectations."

"That's a bit like asking what would occur if the Earth suddenly stopped revolving around the sun." Leona replied with a knowing smirk "Why worry about something that isn't going to happen?"

Rias made a noise between amusement and disbelief at the almost arrogant words that Leona delivered without ever once changing her expression. Sona's reaction was very clearly the opposite, her lips curled into a disapproving frown and her eyes narrowed.

"For your own benefit." Sona spoke in a curt tone, clearly not liking the manner in which Leona spoke "Should your products fail to meet expectations, then you will be placed under a watch list."

Leona didn't react much.

A watch list was very much like a black list without being nearly as complicated, her face would be shared amongst every single Devil family that remained and to all territories they occupied. She would basically forgo any sense of anonymity, while it wasn't necessarily a bad thing for some. For a freelancer like herself it was akin to business suicide.

Most got placed on such lists because - while they weren't outed as Devil haters - they were seen as troublemakers and general nuisances. While some would be content to just watch her, others would be far more zealous. Either way, it would likely force her into closer relations with other factions if only through pressure.

"...Alright." She responded after a moment, it wasn't the worst threat that she could have made but it wasn't a casual one either.

"Wonderful." Rias clapped her hands together, smiling at Leona in a friendly manner while not quite being able to hide the excited twinkle in her eye. Although it was the same sort of twinkle that a vulture would get when they saw a rotting carcass.

Leona withheld a victorious smile.

Either way, she had them.

Devils really were quite easy to handle once you got the feel for them, try as they might there was still their greedy nature. They liked shiny things.

And Leona made very shiny things.

Rias watched from the window as Leona was escorted out of the school grounds, her eyes remained fixed on the woman even as she felt Akeno approach from behind her.

"Is this wise, Buchou?" The girl asked after a few moments "Despite how you might feel, Sona did make valid points."

"She did." Rias admitted as she crossed her arms, slowly nodding her head "But allowing simple facts to guide my hand would have blinded me to the possibility." her expression darkened "And ignoring the feelings of a decision is already on the road to costing me something dear."

Akeno frowned ever so slightly "Is this purely motivated by the engagement?"

"In part." Rias unashamedly admitted "While I still have time…" she exhaled "It never hurts to be prepared, I suppose." There was a pause before she turned around and smiled at Akeno "That and she was a very confident woman. I quite liked her."

Akeno merely smiled at her in response before shaking her head "I suppose that is how she sells her products so well." she muttered before raising her head once again "But that wasn't all of it, was it?"

Rias thinned her lips before shaking her head "No, I suppose not." she replied "There is a subtle air of mystery around Archaman-sensei more than his wife. Whomever acted to save his life, did so with a reason and it clearly wasn't Leona." she shrugged "I did a risk and reward in my head and figured that it was worth the risk."

"Hmmm." The dark haired girl hummed in response "...Is it not because removing Leona Archaman would also be to remove Romani-sensei as well?" she asked with a knowing look.

Rias gave a light smile "Koneko is quite fond of him and my newest pawn is rather attached." she sighed, rubbing her brow "Honestly, I can't convince Issei that we're friendly if I decide to banish one of his only friends and his wife, can I?"

Akeno chuckled, "That as well." there was a pause "And when shall we speak with Issei-kun about such things?"

"I'm sure I can set aside some time in the day." There was a pause before a mischievous smirk came upon Rias face "I can send Kiba to collect him, that should certainly get a few rumours running."

"Ah, so you're in one of those moods are you?" Akeno chortled, raising the back of her hand to cover her mouth and muffle her laugh "Shall I also prepare the shower for you?" she added on with amusement shining brightly in her violet eyes.

Rias merely grinned back "I suppose it would do to freshen up when I meet my newest pawn, would it?"

Leona wasn't sure what she was supposed to come back home and find, she was simply content that they had been able to come to some sort of arrangement. Well, a decent arrangement for her with some wording she would be able to work around at any rate.

Reading the fine print was always something you had to do with these sorts of deals and even with a potential discount to her services, she would still be able to secure a confirmed year of employment with the Gremory and possibly Sitri households.

There was no doubt in her mind they would enjoy what she had to offer and accept, but right now that wasn't what she was worried about.

The click of the door opening sounded like a gunshot to her, the complete lack of reaction when she stepped into the house from anyone only served to further heighten her worry. "Roman?" she called out, closing the door behind her "I'm back."

There was no response.

"Roman?" She called out again, a little louder this time and letting some concern seep into her words "Romani? Romani where-"

"Leo?" A muffled voice called out to her, the woman moved through the hallways and into the living room where she promptly skidded to a halt and let out a gentle sigh of relief.

Sitting upon the sofa was a large dome made from a wrapped up blanket, there was little left to the imagination as to who had wrapped themselves up in a manner of comfort fajita. Her pace slowed as she moved around the sofa to where the front of the cocoon was. There was a slight maw at the top where there was a trace of strawberry coloured hair to be seen poking out from the top.

"Leo?" The muffled voice called out again, the woman winced at how vulnerable he sounded "Are you there?"

Crouching down in front of him, she spoke in a gentle tone of voice "Yes, Roman. I'm here."

The blanket cocoon wriggled and shifted, the gap at the top craned down in her direction with a head slowly coming into view. Romani stared back at her through the gap in the blanket, the man's expression shifted through several emotions before resting on simple relief.

"...Are you alright?" He asked after a few moments, Leona actually blinked at him for asking the question before giving him a slightly dull look.

"That should be my question." She responded with, looking closely at his face and noticing the stress clinging to him "How are you feeling?"

"...Not good." He admitted, the blanket rustled as the man attempted a shrug as best he could.

Leona opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to think of what she could actually say before she closed her eyes "...I'm a liar, Roman."

She didn't need to open her eyes to feel Romani's confused stare on her "I lied because I liked lying to you. It was remarkably easy as well, you aren't all that perceptive, you know?" she attempted a joke with it ending up flat "But like I told you before I left…I'm not a graphic designer, well…I suppose I could be seen as one sometimes but that's not really my job."

"...You said…um…"

"I'm a mage." Leona opened her eyes, surmising for him before she paused and corrected herself "Well, us from the Clocktower like to call ourselves Magi or a Magus." she blew out air from between her teeth. "It all means the same thing but they just like to feel a bit special." she waved her hand "Semantics don't matter all that much."

Romani continued to stare at her before he spoke again "A…mage?"

"Yes." Leona nodded her head "I can do magic. I make magic things. I make shiny magic things." she then pointed to him "I made you a shiny magic watch as well."

Romani gave a slow blink before his head shifted and gazed downwards, his right hand slowly emerged from out of the blanket and twisted itself so he was staring at the silvery watch with a glass cover, watching as the cogs ticked round.

"...Oh." He slowly pulled the arm back into the blanket before he turned his attention onto Leona, his lips thinned as he stared at her like a child would stare at a parent after being told Santa wasn't real "...Why?"

Leona thinned her lips "...Because I didn't want to worry you and…it was novel." she admitted with a faint sigh "Doing so many amazing things and then just coming home to something so ordinary was…well, it was something ironically extraordinary." she raised a hand "I know that doesn't sound great but it was more for your benefit as well."

Romani remained silent as he stared back at her, clearly waiting for her to finish speaking before he made any effort to reply.

"You…get worried easily." Leona spoke in a slow tone "Very easily. I've seen you get panicked over the smallest things and what I do…who I work with. It's dangerous sometimes, or has the potential to be dangerous. I didn't want you worrying about me."

"Of course I worry." Romani replied in a quiet voice "I'll always worry about you…"

"I know." Leona nodded her head "But not worry like that." she nodded past him "Not where you're scared that I'm going to walk through that door and never come back." her expression faltered from its confident visage "I couldn't risk that happening to you so…I went with an 'Ignorance is bliss' approach."

She closed her eyes "...That wasn't fair to you."

"D-did you know that-"

"That some of the students who go to your school were Devils? Yes." Leona nodded her head "And again…I didn't want to spoil it for you. Despite it all, you were a happy Roman and I didn't want to risk taking that away from you." she paused. "Devils aren't bad but there's a lot of negative connotations with them and if you…" a sigh escaped her "Roman…you know now."

Romani nodded his head.

Her eyes opened once again "Do you want to know everything?" she asked "Because I will tell you. If you really want to know…I'll tell you."

He stared at her in silence for a few moments before he nodded his head once.

Leona opened her mouth to respond before she closed it again, staring at Romani "Do…are you upset that I didn't tell you?"

"I don't know." Romani replied in a quiet voice, his eyes flickered away from her "Not yet…I don't know anything right now so…" he swallowed "Ca-can you just tell me?" there was a pause "...Were you ever going to tell me?"

"...One day." Leona nodded her head in response, her expression serious "I was going to tell you one day."

Romani gave a light hum in acknowledgement but gave no further indication that he neither believed her words nor doubted them.

"If nothing else…I have never once lied about how I feel towards you." Leona assured him, her lip slowly forming into a gentle smile "I do, and always will, love you."

"...I love you too." Romani sniffled once before he released a quiet sigh "S-so…magician?"

"We'd have to start waaaaay back." Leona chuckled, slowly rising up and moving around to his side and plopping herself down on the sofa next to him. "...Also, is this the winter quilt?"

"...Yes." Romani replied after a moment "...It's comfortable." his words came out as a quiet murmur.

Leona chuckled, "Well yes, that's why I bought it." she leaned into it, resting her head atop the quilt "Anyway…I suppose the best place to start would be that everything mythological is real." she paused. "Actually, I don't think it can be called 'myth' if it actually happened." she realised before shaking her head "But yes, it's real but there's a disconnect between what people say is real and what actually is real."

She shifted her attention to look down at his hunched over form "The devils at your school aren't evil."

"Koneko steals my muffins though."

Leona couldn't quite help the laughter that erupted from her throat.

"Y-yes, well." She managed to reply in between giggles "F-food theft aside, they aren't quite the soul stealers that everyone says they are. Or rather, they aren't anymore. That sort of thing was a long, long time ago for them." Her laughter died down. "You've been at that school for a year, have you noticed anything bad?"

"Not really."

"Exactly." Leona nodded her head once "Of course there aren't just the Devils, there's the Angels and the Fallen Angels as well…" she trailed off, sending him a fleeting glance "The latter of which you…might have encountered."

Romani's form stilled before it contracted inwards, the blanket tightening around his body and he dragged it closer to himself.

"They're not like that and they probably weren't gunning for you." She hastily assured him "Penny, you remember Penny, right?"

"Ye-" The man paused, quickly putting two and two together "S-she's?"

"Yeah." Leona winced "Probably shouldn't announce that out loud though, even if those three groups aren't malicious to most people, they aren't exactly friends with each other."

Romani didn't reply for a moment before he spoke again "H-he…um…tried to kill me."

Leona frowned at his words, tapping away before she continued on "It's not just the abrahamic faith though, there's all the other ones as well. Hindu, Celtic, Norse, Egyptian, Mesopotamia, Aztec…you get the general idea, right?"

A hum was her response.

"The inner politics of all of it would take hours to explain but for the sake of argument…if it's mystical it probably exists."

"And you…work with them?"

"Not all of them." Leona corrected "Just some of them, some of the time. I'm just a neutral party in it for the most part. I make things and people buy them."

"What sort of things?"

"Well…I did once make a cape that could withstand incredible heat." She recalled "Not insane heat but enough heat that would exceed your average fire blanket. Also mine was much more fashionable."

"...Oh.

"I once made a lazer too."

The blanket slowly shifted, Leona watched with thinly veiled amusement as Romani's head slowly emerged from between the covers to stare at her, his confusion apparent.

"Well, it actually focused magical energy into a thin beam but yes." She grinned "I made a lazer."

"...Oh." Romani blinked in response "Um…I see?" His expression made it clear that he was starting to get a little lost.

"Alright." Leona held up her hand and leaned back into the sofa "Why don't we get back on track-"

"Who did you go and meet?"

"...Some of your students." She replied after a moment "As you can imagine, I am normally supposed to alert people where I go and…well…" she shrugged her shoulders "I sort of didn't."

Romani frowned "But…I made us move here?" his eyes widened "Is it my-"

"No." Leona cut him off "That was my fault. Not yours." she reached out, resting a hand atop his hair "Don't ever blame yourself for that. It's my fault…anyway, we came to an agreement and now I'm working with them."

"You aren't in trouble?"

"Nope!~" She sang "Leona charisma works wonders!"

Romani didn't look convinced, turning his head away and staring down at the floor again "C-can we…um…talk about this again later?"

"Of course." Leona whispered "Take as much time as you need."

"Hmmm." Romani hummed in response, slowly sliding his head back into his blanket cocoon and out of sight.

Releasing a quiet sigh, Leona pushed herself off the sofa and back onto her feet "Do you want me to make you something sweet?"

"Mmmmh."

"Use your words, Roman." Leona chuckled at him.

"Yes please…"

She nodded her head before closing her eyes "Are you…really not upset? Because I'd understand it if you-"

"Leo…I don't know." He replied to her from behind the blanket "I don't think I'll know for a while can I just…think it over?"

"...You can."

"Thank you." Romani exhaled, closing his eyes and rolling himself over in his cocoon. His head was still spinning even now from reveal after reveal that had assailed him. Closing his eyes and moving his fingers to his left hand, gently rubbing his thumb over his simple bronze ring once again.

A wave of calm rolled through his body, doing its level best to clear his mind.

He didn't really know how to feel about the situation and he probably wouldn't know for a while, there was just too much that was happening too quickly for him to understand any of it. From the sounds of things, the same was true of Issei as well…

At least he wasn't truly alone in that regard, that was a poor form of comfort to him but it was better than nothing.

He did wonder how Issei was getting on anyway, it couldn't be any worse than how he felt.

"...Leo?" He called out.

"Yes?"

"Who else is a Devil at Kuoh?"

"I assume you remember Rias Gremory?"

"Yes."

"There was another by the name of Sona Shitori although her actual name is Sitri."

Romani blinked once, furrowing his brows ever so slightly.

That made much more sense than he could possibly have imagined, it also brought up the question of how many members of the student council were also devils. It would explain their almost inhuman approach to work.

Either that or he was lazier than actual devils in a human school.

He wasn't sure if that said more about him or about Devils. Did that mean that if they were part of the student council, they had also died?

Did people die and then become Devils?

His eyes slowly drifted shut as he slumped on the sofa.

This was much more stressful than he could have imagined.

AN: Yeah, Leona focused chapter with casual agreements.

So next Chapter were back with Romani and Issei, fun times all around as we move towards the next part of this Arc.

A certain Italian nun.