Games reached out and waved a hand in front of Contacts' face. There was no response. "You think we broke him?"
"If anyone broke him it would be you," Raff replied.
Games pouted and mumbled, "But it's Atiri who's the vampire."
"Don't mumble. It's unbecoming of a God."
"Hmh. We were replaced anyway," he mumbled.
"You..." Raff started as if to reprimand him again then stopped and sighed.
"Well, there's nothing we can do now."
"Easy for you to say. Time will probably give you another position or something," Games complained.
"Yes, I'm surprised he replaced you in the first place, Atiri."
"Why would Lord Time not want to replace her?" Contracts questioned. He had snapped out of his shock a while back and was quietly listening in on their conversation.
"It's complicated," all three of them said.
Great, that helped so much. I'll just ask Lord Time later, Contracts thought before shoving the topic aside. Despite what others thought of him, he did have emotions and he was curious. Emotional and curious enough that he ended up as a God because of it.
"Why are you calling Time 'Lord Time'? That's so formal," the pink head asked.
"I'm just giving him the respect he deserves as a High God." A scoff was heard. "In fact, it's unusual that you don't refer to him as such."
"That's cuz we actually know Time, " Games said in a matter-of-fact tone. Raff crossed his arms and nodded in confirmation. Even Atiri did not say anything to correct them.
"That..."
"And why were you shocked at Atiri being a bloodsucker while you just ignored the fact that Raff looks like a were-fox who literally has eyes on the back of his hands?"
Contacts had been to the mirror world before for an errand. There he had met many were-creatures, some even weirder than Raff. However, he had never seen a vampire before. They remained a myth to him and not most of the low Gods.
Contracts looked at him, contemplating whether he should bother to explain. In the end, he ignored him and looked at the other two. "I'll take you to your rooms now."
"Hey, don't ignore me."
The other two nodded and started to move toward the door.
"Wait, what about me?" Games latched onto Raff's arm and looked up at him with saddened eyes. "You're not going to abandon me in this tiny, cold, and empty place, are you Raff?" Tears could be seen gathering at the corner of his quirky eyes. That combined with his soft bubblegum pink hair and childish appearance made him irresistibly cure. No one would be able to combat that look.
Unfortunately for Games, he was dealing with an expert. Raphael had long grown immune to his charms.
He unhurriedly ruffled Games' hair and turned to leave. "Don't be so dramatic. If anyone heard you, they might think I was abandoning you in a ditch. I'll pick you up for dinner."
"Hey, wait!" He rushed forward only to have the door slammed in his face. "Raff! At least leave a chess set in here! I'm going to die of boredom!"
"You'll just revive tomorrow anyway, " Atiri replied. Once they were killed, mid-Gods and above would revive after 24 Heaven hours. After they revived, no traces of injury would remain as if they hadn't been injured in the first place. This power was also what separated them from the low Gods who were no different from mortals with enhanced powers.
"Boo-hoo, you're all meanies."
"Thanks," Raff said, as he casually tossed the keys at Contracts.
He caught them and started at the door for a second. He could hear Games crying on the other side. No matter what, he was still a kid. "Is this really okay?"
Raff raised an eyebrow at that. "Some time to cool off will do him some good." And it wasn't like Games was an actual kid.
Taking one last look, Contacts nodded in acknowledgment. He didn't know that much about children anyway. Maybe a time-out would really help Games.
He then proceeded to escort them further down the hall while occasionally sneaking glances at Atiri. He was quite curious about vampires and wanted to know just how many of the stories he had heard were made up. He would have to ask her for more information later.
Atiri looked around at the marble floor and the floral patterned walls. They hadn't changed at all. "Right, where did Air go?" She asked.
"Let's see." Raff took out a tracking device that looked very similar to a pocket watch. It came in quite handy in staying one step ahead of the trio. He had escaped countless pranks due to the device. He always had it on him. Always. His obsession had reached the point where he would feel naked without it. "He's near Love and Hate."
"They're probably catching up then."
"Yes, they were close before the war."
Contracts suddenly paused.
"What's wrong?" Raff inquired, trying to sound neutral. Could they have been exposed?
"What war are you talking about?"
Raff and Atiri looked at each other, their eyes conveying the same question. Could he not know about the war?