Isaaru
Under an everblue sky.
[11th] Week 220: Zenith I
幕間
[ interlude ]
Hasteless steps broke the stark silence of the hallway’s shadows. That obscure path with no windows, completely covered in dark wood, where only few chandeliers flickered a miser light, always felt like a step into darkness. Its seemingly endless length was immersed in thick blackness and its ceiling was so, so high that one could not be sure if there was actually one. The Path of Penumbra always made up for its name.
That particular passageway was only known by some; by a very sparse select of individuals that were invited into that umbrae. The House of Yagara always lived for its ironclad secrecy, even within its brethren. In a world where information was power, secrets should be preserved. Buried deep in the viscera of their claimed land, the Path of Penumbra led to the Nadir, the chamber where the Yagara’s summit gathered. From that obscure place, many strings were pulled by the unseen puppet masters.
As he walked through the blackness, distant sounds could be heard from within the deep shadows that immersed the aboves. Secrets far from his reach observed him. He felt them creeping their way down, getting closer. The silent walker addressed them an acid glare.
"Bleeding sun. Ironclad ocean. Inversed demon.”
The words came out of his mouth like a threat. The creepers retreated. Yuuto of Yagara was not in a good mood that day. The last shards of his humor had been corroded by the sulfurous meeting with those insolent captains from the Gotei Thirteen. A bitter taste still drenched his mouth. Things had not turn out exactly the way he wanted to; the way they wanted to.
Yuuto was well aware that the roots of the House’s gnarled tree of interests were buried within the darkness of the Nadir. He clearly knew how far those dark tendrils had spread within the Noble Houses of Rukongai and even the Central Forty-Six itself. However, Seireitei still held an inconvenient resistance to their influence, to their interests. That man had become a major hindrance in the Yagara’s path.
Sayis Inuzuri is not a man we can easily bend.
The faint scent of a familiar perfume foretold that he arrived to the end of the Path. Leaned on a velvet covered wall, immersed in the shadows, two silhouettes turned their heads, seemingly interrupting a conversation, as Yuuto stepped in the faint light of the narrow lobby. A man and a woman. That moment of familiarity was uninvited.
"Conspiring or simply distilling your venom?” he tossed, coldly, as he passed by them.
"Are you specially bitter today, Yuuto?” the woman quipped, stepping into the faint light as well.
Yuuto halted his walk and looked at her over his shoulder. She was a sight, as always. Venomous, none the less. Her ivory skin and big eyes, portrayed the beauty of her poison-dark lips. Never-withering flowers adorned the hair of that nocturne geisha. She walked towards him, languidly. A noxious spark flickered in her alluring eyes. Still, not enough to melt his arctic heart.
"Surprising to see you here, Sadame,” Yuuto commented coldly. "I assumed you were dealing with your affairs in Kusajishi, where you belong.”
"Fufu... And I was!” she replied, superficially ignoring Yuuto’s barb. "But I was summoned in time! Can you imagine that my dearest Kinzou sent me the finest ride~?”
Yuuto simply rolled his eyes to the man that still dwelt in the shadows. His glasses scintillated in the darkness, making him unmistakable. With a subtle giggle, the young man walked into the faint luminance. His invasive teal eyes smiled from behind his discreet lenses. Blond locks portrayed his delicate visage, where a persistent grin never faded. His posture was snob, as always.
"Sadame was simply filling me in about the protocol of the Nadir,” the posh man said courteously, addressing a gallant nod to the woman. "Since it is my first time, I did not want to commit a gaffe.”
"Like you would,” Yuuto darted laconically, pressing his hand over the black lacquered wooden door from the summit’s chamber.
"I heard that the audience with the Gotei’s captains didn’t turn the way we expected...” Sadame commented with poisonous intents. "I hope it doesn't mean trouble for you boys~"
Yuuto simply pushed the door.
Immersed in eternal darkness, the Nadir was a round pit chamber that mimicked the Yagara’s crest. Making for the white arrow shooting the crimson sun, a white marble bridge fluctuated over a black abyss. In the tail of the figurative arrow’s shaft there was a round plateau, with a circular black table, where seven chairs were carefully placed. A brazier encrusted in the middle of the table poured an auburn luminance, casting grotesque shadows over the brethren’s visages.
Tense and drenched in a bitter mood, Yuuto scoped his eyes over the summit, scrutinizing their gestures. No pleasantry or courteous flamboyance was spilled in that rare meeting of the seven. His eyes locked on Kinzou’s glimmering lenses, that reflected the embers of the brazier. That chair used to be occupied by someone who was as ancient in the House as he was. There was no need for a better proof that those young vipers should be kept on close watch.
"This tide did not turn exactly the way it was supposed to!” the raspy voice of the Old Witch spit out, as she smacked the table furiously. "Unacceptable!!”
The tense air could be cut by a knife. Yuuto noticed a furious glare turning in his direction. That woman obnoxiousness was her trademark. He just waited for the next salvo...
"Yuuto of Yagara! Or better, Judge Forty-One of the Central Forty-Six!” she insisted, belligerently. "What do you have to say in your behalf?!”
"Nothing...” he replied, with cold indifference.
A visible flare of anger snapped on her seat. Before that old woman could toss any further accusations, Yuuto plunged his palm against the black surface, disrupting her bravado with the loud noise. His frost grey irises were still veiled in the undulating shadows, darting each and every one of them.
"I refuse to assume that you still believe that the leaders of Seireitei are as bendable as the noble fops we so easily manipulate...” he stated firmly, bringing his winter tone into the pyre warmed chamber. "We should not underestimate their ironclad pride and their allegiance to their laws.”
He made a rhetorical pause, gathering momentum for his next words.
"The Soutaichou Sayis Inuzuri is not a man who can be pushed around by the means of threats and bargains. He won’t accept taints in his steel honor. We had a solid demonstration of it in our last audience...” his eyes rolled towards Kinzou’s, that narrowed. "However, Captain Tsubaki ended up delivering us a rather unexpected gift... The revelation of her unlawful scheme to blackmail the Central Forty-Six, using forbidden ways that trespassed the pride and law of Gotei Thirteen, turned out to be the seed of turmoil we needed to crumble them from the inside. That became our trump; that was the result we had... ”
"The events had unwided themselves in our favor, nonetheless...” the Wise Slug spoke with his lethargic, guttural voice. His oversized silhouette moved languidly in the dancing shadows. "Protecting the laws of Soul Society ought to be our main goal... As long as they exist, there will be the visceral fear of having them broken, of having this frail balance collapsed.... Also, as long as the Shinigami are kept under restraint, they will fear the enemies that creep outside our doors... When they reach the peak of despair, we throw them the rope and the hope they need... As long as there is fear and despair to sell hope and solace, the House shall not wither...”
Yuuto smirked in the darkness.
"Wouldn’t it naive to simply assume that Seireitei’s unbreakable pride will easily soften, just because they are in the middle of internal turmoil? Just because they would be afraid?” Sadame inquired, sharp as a poisonous bolt.
"It kinda would,” Kinzou added jovially, making use of the poisonous orchid’s suggestion. "The Gotei Thirteen still holds a visceral grudge against the Central Forty-Six, as it was clearly shown in our last audience. It will take long, long for them to swallow their foolish pride...”
"If at all...” Yuuto remarked, mordantly.
"Indeed,” Kinzou hissed in return. "If I may, I would insist that we keep our focus on laying pressure over the Noble Houses. Scared as many of them already are, their trust in the Gotei Thirteen will frail, they will end up drenched in doubts and fear, and they will seek our help by any price. As always.”
"They will hand us the keys of Seireitei in exchange of our generous help...” the Old Witch complemented with acid sarcasm.
"This will happen naturally, whether pressure them or not...” the Wise Slug foretold, breathing heavily, as he usually did. "The turmoil within Seireitei will be enough to melt Rukongai’s secure aegis... The noble are already opening their vaults...”
"The House of Yagara shall not soften its iron grip.”
The authoritative voice of the White Devil, who had been silent since the beginning of the council, was finally heard. Even being covered by shadows, Yuuto dissimulated the odious glare he was about to dart. There were aspects about the presence of that man that defied the tangible logic and the common sense.
"Our manoeuvre in Rukongai shall be enforced,” the White Devil continued. "The turmoil in Jurinan has been lit and the presence of the Onmitsu Kidou will compose the scenario of dread we need... It is time to a rougher approach.
Sadame. What’s the status of your mercenaries?”
"The gathering was more than successful. Surviving members of the Unite Kanda accepted to join our ranks. Many of them have already rooted deep in Jurinan, as civilians, as planned. The first pawns were sent to lit the fuse of civil insurrection. Still we have to keen an eye on the Onmitsu Kidou’s presence in Rukongai. They will end up getting in the way...”
"They are still loyal to the Central Forty-Six... I’m sure something will be arranged...” the White Devil remarked maliciously.
Yuuto felt that man’s platine eyes dart towards him. An uncomfortable feeling crawled under his skin. The Judge understood the subliminal poison. His nails plunged in the varnished wood. He never liked to deal with those masked monsters...
"The Onmitsu Kidou has been withered on its strength and focus due to the lack of a strong leadership in the Keigun,” Yuuto informed, somberly. "Both Ashanti and Koganemushi have been missing for years. Although never confirmed, it is assumed that they died in the last siege in Hueco Mundo. Their absence has turned the organization into a group of blind executioners, driven by the law.”
"Still, such powerful weapon shall be handled by the firmest hand!” the Old Witch remarked with her usual asperity. "That’s exactly why we have to keep the Gotei Thirteen and the Onmitsu Kidou on a tight leash! They’re too dangerous and powerful to be set free.”
"Indeed they are,” Yuuto added, with cold wit. "Because of this fact, I enforce that we must be very cautious while dealing with the Soutaichou. He holds a great power... Greater than what we would be able control with all our resources. However, that woman should still be eliminated from our path...”
"This has already been arranged,” the White Devil chuckled from his seat. "By this time, the Kenpachi Ascania has dealt with her...”
Yuuto’s eyes narrowed. He knew it would be needed more than the Kenpachi to eradicate Tsubaki’s filth from the face of Soul Society. As an aggravating, the Soutaichou was with her. He surely wouldn’t allow a blunt execution in front of him.
"Let’s see how this turns out,” the White Devil said, spitting malice. "Kinzou.”
"Yes.”
"We need your subtle touch in the economy of Jurinan. Trading, taxes, mortgages, prices, everything. We shall fuel their hatred even further. Then, you’ll make a visit to the Sakurazuka and the Katsumoto...” There was a scent of malice in the Devil’s words. "Their manor will be raided tomorrow night. They will need all the bloodstone, guards and weapons they can have. You know the drill...”
"Consider it done~”
"Sadame. Double the focus and resources in the search for the remaining members of Castigo Divino and Sine Qua Non. Getting them in our side is our main priority!”
"So shall be done.”
"And should we relay our trust in outlaws that turned their blades against Seireitei...?” the Wise Slug enquired, breathing heavily.
"Trust is based in how much you pay for it,” Kinzou observed maliciously. "Don’t you forget that we subsidized their ambitions in the past. They owe us allegiance.”
"You should not be that sure...” Yuuto retorted. "Fallen Shinigami are still Shinigami. Immense power that shall not be taken lightly... or trusted.”
"The House of Yagara knows the risk it is running,” the White Devil remarked. "But we shall remember the price we have to pay to achieve our Great Destiny, our Crimson Sun.”
"While the Gotei Thirteen crumbles, we will be gathering our own army!” the Old Witch added with wicked passion. "When they feeble, it will be our time to strike and make them bend to us!”
Her punch over the table made some embers spill out of the brazier. Yuuto couldn’t suppress the scornful chuckle of that hag’s burst of obnoxiousness. Inside the Nadir, the echo of the malicious giggles drifted into the darkness.
"We have been through this entire meeting badmouthing the Shinigami,” the White Devil started, with foppish manners, "which makes me think that this must be the reason you have not yet spoke a single word, sister.”
The seventh devil that had been silent through the entire meeting brought its silhouette closer to the dancing luminance. Yuuto had almost forgotten she was there. In fact, it was incredibly odd that she didn’t say a word after two entire centuries absent from the Nadir, and from the House. The most dangerous devil of the Nadir; the only woman capable of inspiring him fear. Luminous glasses scintillated on her face. A pale hand was brought into the light, resting over the table. She was right in front of him and, from his seat, Yuuto was able to discern the wine colored hair locks that lied over her shoulders.
"Not at all. I was simply delighted from listening to you, ladies and gentlemen,” the woman said with blatant cynicism. "You know, it has been a while...”
"You could n have returned in a better time,” the White Devil remarked, with malicious satisfaction. "Welcome back to us... Aoede.”
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the devil only prays to his own kind
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幕間
[ interlude ]
Hasteless steps broke the stark silence of the hallway’s shadows. That obscure path with no windows, completely covered in dark wood, where only few chandeliers flickered a miser light, always felt like a step into darkness. Its seemingly endless length was immersed in thick blackness and its ceiling was so, so high that one could not be sure if there was actually one. The Path of Penumbra always made up for its name.
That particular passageway was only known by some; by a very sparse select of individuals that were invited into that umbrae. The House of Yagara always lived for its ironclad secrecy, even within its brethren. In a world where information was power, secrets should be preserved. Buried deep in the viscera of their claimed land, the Path of Penumbra led to the Nadir, the chamber where the Yagara’s summit gathered. From that obscure place, many strings were pulled by the unseen puppet masters.
As he walked through the blackness, distant sounds could be heard from within the deep shadows that immersed the aboves. Secrets far from his reach observed him. He felt them creeping their way down, getting closer. The silent walker addressed them an acid glare.
"Bleeding sun. Ironclad ocean. Inversed demon.”
The words came out of his mouth like a threat. The creepers retreated. Yuuto of Yagara was not in a good mood that day. The last shards of his humor had been corroded by the sulfurous meeting with those insolent captains from the Gotei Thirteen. A bitter taste still drenched his mouth. Things had not turn out exactly the way he wanted to; the way they wanted to.
Yuuto was well aware that the roots of the House’s gnarled tree of interests were buried within the darkness of the Nadir. He clearly knew how far those dark tendrils had spread within the Noble Houses of Rukongai and even the Central Forty-Six itself. However, Seireitei still held an inconvenient resistance to their influence, to their interests. That man had become a major hindrance in the Yagara’s path.
Sayis Inuzuri is not a man we can easily bend.
The faint scent of a familiar perfume foretold that he arrived to the end of the Path. Leaned on a velvet covered wall, immersed in the shadows, two silhouettes turned their heads, seemingly interrupting a conversation, as Yuuto stepped in the faint light of the narrow lobby. A man and a woman. That moment of familiarity was uninvited.
"Conspiring or simply distilling your venom?” he tossed, coldly, as he passed by them.
"Are you specially bitter today, Yuuto?” the woman quipped, stepping into the faint light as well.
Yuuto halted his walk and looked at her over his shoulder. She was a sight, as always. Venomous, none the less. Her ivory skin and big eyes, portrayed the beauty of her poison-dark lips. Never-withering flowers adorned the hair of that nocturne geisha. She walked towards him, languidly. A noxious spark flickered in her alluring eyes. Still, not enough to melt his arctic heart.
"Surprising to see you here, Sadame,” Yuuto commented coldly. "I assumed you were dealing with your affairs in Kusajishi, where you belong.”
"Fufu... And I was!” she replied, superficially ignoring Yuuto’s barb. "But I was summoned in time! Can you imagine that my dearest Kinzou sent me the finest ride~?”
Yuuto simply rolled his eyes to the man that still dwelt in the shadows. His glasses scintillated in the darkness, making him unmistakable. With a subtle giggle, the young man walked into the faint luminance. His invasive teal eyes smiled from behind his discreet lenses. Blond locks portrayed his delicate visage, where a persistent grin never faded. His posture was snob, as always.
"Sadame was simply filling me in about the protocol of the Nadir,” the posh man said courteously, addressing a gallant nod to the woman. "Since it is my first time, I did not want to commit a gaffe.”
"Like you would,” Yuuto darted laconically, pressing his hand over the black lacquered wooden door from the summit’s chamber.
"I heard that the audience with the Gotei’s captains didn’t turn the way we expected...” Sadame commented with poisonous intents. "I hope it doesn't mean trouble for you boys~"
Yuuto simply pushed the door.
// seven devils //
Immersed in eternal darkness, the Nadir was a round pit chamber that mimicked the Yagara’s crest. Making for the white arrow shooting the crimson sun, a white marble bridge fluctuated over a black abyss. In the tail of the figurative arrow’s shaft there was a round plateau, with a circular black table, where seven chairs were carefully placed. A brazier encrusted in the middle of the table poured an auburn luminance, casting grotesque shadows over the brethren’s visages.
Tense and drenched in a bitter mood, Yuuto scoped his eyes over the summit, scrutinizing their gestures. No pleasantry or courteous flamboyance was spilled in that rare meeting of the seven. His eyes locked on Kinzou’s glimmering lenses, that reflected the embers of the brazier. That chair used to be occupied by someone who was as ancient in the House as he was. There was no need for a better proof that those young vipers should be kept on close watch.
"This tide did not turn exactly the way it was supposed to!” the raspy voice of the Old Witch spit out, as she smacked the table furiously. "Unacceptable!!”
The tense air could be cut by a knife. Yuuto noticed a furious glare turning in his direction. That woman obnoxiousness was her trademark. He just waited for the next salvo...
"Yuuto of Yagara! Or better, Judge Forty-One of the Central Forty-Six!” she insisted, belligerently. "What do you have to say in your behalf?!”
"Nothing...” he replied, with cold indifference.
A visible flare of anger snapped on her seat. Before that old woman could toss any further accusations, Yuuto plunged his palm against the black surface, disrupting her bravado with the loud noise. His frost grey irises were still veiled in the undulating shadows, darting each and every one of them.
"I refuse to assume that you still believe that the leaders of Seireitei are as bendable as the noble fops we so easily manipulate...” he stated firmly, bringing his winter tone into the pyre warmed chamber. "We should not underestimate their ironclad pride and their allegiance to their laws.”
He made a rhetorical pause, gathering momentum for his next words.
"The Soutaichou Sayis Inuzuri is not a man who can be pushed around by the means of threats and bargains. He won’t accept taints in his steel honor. We had a solid demonstration of it in our last audience...” his eyes rolled towards Kinzou’s, that narrowed. "However, Captain Tsubaki ended up delivering us a rather unexpected gift... The revelation of her unlawful scheme to blackmail the Central Forty-Six, using forbidden ways that trespassed the pride and law of Gotei Thirteen, turned out to be the seed of turmoil we needed to crumble them from the inside. That became our trump; that was the result we had... ”
"The events had unwided themselves in our favor, nonetheless...” the Wise Slug spoke with his lethargic, guttural voice. His oversized silhouette moved languidly in the dancing shadows. "Protecting the laws of Soul Society ought to be our main goal... As long as they exist, there will be the visceral fear of having them broken, of having this frail balance collapsed.... Also, as long as the Shinigami are kept under restraint, they will fear the enemies that creep outside our doors... When they reach the peak of despair, we throw them the rope and the hope they need... As long as there is fear and despair to sell hope and solace, the House shall not wither...”
Yuuto smirked in the darkness.
"Wouldn’t it naive to simply assume that Seireitei’s unbreakable pride will easily soften, just because they are in the middle of internal turmoil? Just because they would be afraid?” Sadame inquired, sharp as a poisonous bolt.
"It kinda would,” Kinzou added jovially, making use of the poisonous orchid’s suggestion. "The Gotei Thirteen still holds a visceral grudge against the Central Forty-Six, as it was clearly shown in our last audience. It will take long, long for them to swallow their foolish pride...”
"If at all...” Yuuto remarked, mordantly.
"Indeed,” Kinzou hissed in return. "If I may, I would insist that we keep our focus on laying pressure over the Noble Houses. Scared as many of them already are, their trust in the Gotei Thirteen will frail, they will end up drenched in doubts and fear, and they will seek our help by any price. As always.”
"They will hand us the keys of Seireitei in exchange of our generous help...” the Old Witch complemented with acid sarcasm.
"This will happen naturally, whether pressure them or not...” the Wise Slug foretold, breathing heavily, as he usually did. "The turmoil within Seireitei will be enough to melt Rukongai’s secure aegis... The noble are already opening their vaults...”
"The House of Yagara shall not soften its iron grip.”
The authoritative voice of the White Devil, who had been silent since the beginning of the council, was finally heard. Even being covered by shadows, Yuuto dissimulated the odious glare he was about to dart. There were aspects about the presence of that man that defied the tangible logic and the common sense.
"Our manoeuvre in Rukongai shall be enforced,” the White Devil continued. "The turmoil in Jurinan has been lit and the presence of the Onmitsu Kidou will compose the scenario of dread we need... It is time to a rougher approach.
Sadame. What’s the status of your mercenaries?”
"The gathering was more than successful. Surviving members of the Unite Kanda accepted to join our ranks. Many of them have already rooted deep in Jurinan, as civilians, as planned. The first pawns were sent to lit the fuse of civil insurrection. Still we have to keen an eye on the Onmitsu Kidou’s presence in Rukongai. They will end up getting in the way...”
"They are still loyal to the Central Forty-Six... I’m sure something will be arranged...” the White Devil remarked maliciously.
Yuuto felt that man’s platine eyes dart towards him. An uncomfortable feeling crawled under his skin. The Judge understood the subliminal poison. His nails plunged in the varnished wood. He never liked to deal with those masked monsters...
"The Onmitsu Kidou has been withered on its strength and focus due to the lack of a strong leadership in the Keigun,” Yuuto informed, somberly. "Both Ashanti and Koganemushi have been missing for years. Although never confirmed, it is assumed that they died in the last siege in Hueco Mundo. Their absence has turned the organization into a group of blind executioners, driven by the law.”
"Still, such powerful weapon shall be handled by the firmest hand!” the Old Witch remarked with her usual asperity. "That’s exactly why we have to keep the Gotei Thirteen and the Onmitsu Kidou on a tight leash! They’re too dangerous and powerful to be set free.”
"Indeed they are,” Yuuto added, with cold wit. "Because of this fact, I enforce that we must be very cautious while dealing with the Soutaichou. He holds a great power... Greater than what we would be able control with all our resources. However, that woman should still be eliminated from our path...”
"This has already been arranged,” the White Devil chuckled from his seat. "By this time, the Kenpachi Ascania has dealt with her...”
Yuuto’s eyes narrowed. He knew it would be needed more than the Kenpachi to eradicate Tsubaki’s filth from the face of Soul Society. As an aggravating, the Soutaichou was with her. He surely wouldn’t allow a blunt execution in front of him.
"Let’s see how this turns out,” the White Devil said, spitting malice. "Kinzou.”
"Yes.”
"We need your subtle touch in the economy of Jurinan. Trading, taxes, mortgages, prices, everything. We shall fuel their hatred even further. Then, you’ll make a visit to the Sakurazuka and the Katsumoto...” There was a scent of malice in the Devil’s words. "Their manor will be raided tomorrow night. They will need all the bloodstone, guards and weapons they can have. You know the drill...”
"Consider it done~”
"Sadame. Double the focus and resources in the search for the remaining members of Castigo Divino and Sine Qua Non. Getting them in our side is our main priority!”
"So shall be done.”
"And should we relay our trust in outlaws that turned their blades against Seireitei...?” the Wise Slug enquired, breathing heavily.
"Trust is based in how much you pay for it,” Kinzou observed maliciously. "Don’t you forget that we subsidized their ambitions in the past. They owe us allegiance.”
"You should not be that sure...” Yuuto retorted. "Fallen Shinigami are still Shinigami. Immense power that shall not be taken lightly... or trusted.”
"The House of Yagara knows the risk it is running,” the White Devil remarked. "But we shall remember the price we have to pay to achieve our Great Destiny, our Crimson Sun.”
"While the Gotei Thirteen crumbles, we will be gathering our own army!” the Old Witch added with wicked passion. "When they feeble, it will be our time to strike and make them bend to us!”
Her punch over the table made some embers spill out of the brazier. Yuuto couldn’t suppress the scornful chuckle of that hag’s burst of obnoxiousness. Inside the Nadir, the echo of the malicious giggles drifted into the darkness.
"We have been through this entire meeting badmouthing the Shinigami,” the White Devil started, with foppish manners, "which makes me think that this must be the reason you have not yet spoke a single word, sister.”
The seventh devil that had been silent through the entire meeting brought its silhouette closer to the dancing luminance. Yuuto had almost forgotten she was there. In fact, it was incredibly odd that she didn’t say a word after two entire centuries absent from the Nadir, and from the House. The most dangerous devil of the Nadir; the only woman capable of inspiring him fear. Luminous glasses scintillated on her face. A pale hand was brought into the light, resting over the table. She was right in front of him and, from his seat, Yuuto was able to discern the wine colored hair locks that lied over her shoulders.
"Not at all. I was simply delighted from listening to you, ladies and gentlemen,” the woman said with blatant cynicism. "You know, it has been a while...”
"You could n have returned in a better time,” the White Devil remarked, with malicious satisfaction. "Welcome back to us... Aoede.”
// 2,440 //
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