The morning sun had peeked through the window and into his bedroom.
Aeon always woke up early, nonetheless today was the exception.
It was already 8:20 a.m. yet he laid flat on his bed, his legs hanging off the edge of his bed as he was too tall. His face was laid on the side to allow breathing and was holding extra pillows in his arms. He had kicked off part of his blanket as some landed on the floor.
His snoring was heard even when sitting in the living room, which was what made Amelia irked.
She had decided to not work from her office today, instead staying over at Aeon's apartment to do some work. While it was not a common habit, it still happened before Andrata and April had lived here.
After tolerating his snoring for another ten minutes, she got up and went to his room. She kicked the door open, glaring at him hoping that the sound would wake him. He still slept soundly as if the noise was not heard by everyone else in here.
She stood at the door, her eyes remained firmly at his figure.
She should not have been standing there for this long yet she could not help it to stare at his muscles. She often forgot that he did work out though not for maintaining his physique, it was for taking care of his health.
A slight pink tint was visible on her cheeks as she moved towards Aeon.
She tried waking him up in multiple ways. Though it was anything but gentle. She decided against kicking him off of his own bed, instead picking up the third pillow and began smacking the back of his head.
He immediately woke up on first hit although the pillow was still thrown at his face.
"Amy?!" His reaction upon seeing her in his room.
She groaned and greeted him, "Morning, you log."
He did not say anything else as he went back to bed, this time sleeping face down on his fluffy pillow. She got annoyed at it and attempted to grab him off of the bed, by placing her hand on his shoulder.
"It's already 8."
He replied groggily, "Let me sleep a little longer~"
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down, she did not anticipate his reaction so she did not respond by sentence or physical sense. She landed on his side as he shifted around to make some area for both of them.
She continued glaring at him, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Eh~?" He replied by making some noise.
He ignored her struggle as he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her as he leaned his head on her shoulder. There was a grin on his face that said he was happy to have her around him as he slept.
"Aeon, I have work to do…" She mentioned as she tried to move away.
His head leaned lower as he said, "You have some time to spare. Don't be like that~"
He placed his head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat and going back into dreamland. She wanted to get off although he was exerting so much strength that overpowering him became a waste of time in her mind.
"I swear I hate you." She muttered as she ruffled his hair.
After some time, she decided to smack him on the head. Andrata and April had appeared to check what was going on, though seeing Aeon completely asleep with Amelia in her arms, they chose to walk away.
'Feel like there are some misunderstandings…' She thought.
"Oi, wake up already." She again attempted to get off of him.
He made some noises as he still leaned on her chest. She was getting more irked now as she lightly pushed his head off of her chest. She shook her head and started to get off of his grasp although that used up a lot of her strength.
He got up slowly and rubbed his eyes, his voice barely audible as he talked, "Amelia… That kinda hurts you know?"
"I swear that it doesn't." She stood up with her left eye twitching.
She sighed and walked out of the room, noticing that Andrata and April were moving around the kitchen. They looked like lost ducklings looking for their mother, which made her giggle. She shrugged and walked towards them.
"What do you guys want to eat?" She asked as she looked through the cabinets and fridge.
Andrata was about to say something though April cut her off, "French toast please!"
"Aprl!" Andrata tried to stop her.
"Don't worry, I'll be cooking breakfast for you all. Now tell me what you want." She shook her head and grabbed some bowls.
Andrata was confused, "Ah… You can cook?"
"Who do you think feeds the three idiots?" She spoke after taking a glance at them.
"Uh… then I want some omelet, sausages and french toast as well." Andrata replied loud enough for them to hear.
April's ears hung over slightly and continued, "Same with Andrata, but I want scrambled eggs instead."
She did not reply and continued making breakfast. Cracked eggs, scrambling them evenly with a chopstick; The sound of bread mixed with egg mixture sizzling on a hot pan; Another one having pan-grilled tomatoes and sausages.
The smell of food cooking got April drooling and Andrata trying not to drool. Aeon had appeared after breakfast was almost done, he peeked his head out to look at what was going on. A smile was on his lips once he saw Amelia cooking a simple breakfast.
She hummed as she plate the food then placed it on the dining table. There were only three plates with none for her. She placed all the dirty pans, bowls and utensils in the sink and started washing it.
"You're not eating?" April asked as she started to eat.
She shook her head, "No thanks."
The sound of water flowing down on them and pans colliding with each other was heard aside from the daily chatter between three of them. Once she was done, she went back to the coffee table and started working again.
He glanced at her while April was going on about someone, staring at her for much longer than he intended to.
"What?" She asked as she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head.
He stopped looking at her and chose to rejoin their conversation. Andrata had gotten curious about their gaze exchanges earlier but chose not to ask. Perhaps it was something that she should not have known at all.
So she rather not know anything about it.
Andrata walked over to her once April and Aeon were washing up the dishes and utensils. Amelia had remained silent all the way through as she continued to sign and look over all of the documents she had brought over.
"Uhm… Can I ask you something?" Andrata sat next to her.
The nervousness in her tone was visible by her body language. She was playing with her fingers, trying her best to look at Amelia. She was still trying it though she kept looking away when Amelia would stare back at her.
She did not reply yet she moved her right hand which was holding a document, gesturing for her to continue talking. She remained focused on her work as she waited for Andrata to speak, only saying anything if there was a need.
Andrata began asking, "You and Aeon are now together right?"
"Mhm," She said, "Just a bit of time."
"Are you both going on more jobs together then?"
It was not exactly an odd question though it was a fine assumption for anyone to make. That was visible on the way Amelia answered her as well, her tone remained stern yet it felt gentle. She noted why she would ask her that.
She shook her head, "Nope. He only joins me when I want him to, and he's willing to of course."
"Besides, he drags my pace down from time to time anyways. I rather not have an extra burden on my shoulders for more serious missions." She added.
Andrata simply nodded, letting her brain process whatever else she was going to ask. Looking over from her shoulder, she noticed that April and Aeon were talking about something she did not understand. She looked back over to Amelia.
It was an unusual thought, but was she willing to entertain it?
"Could you have done anything if we didn't accept you?" She lowered her head once she asked.
Amelia did not answer.
At first, Andrata thought that she was thinking over what to say. Yet as time went on, she started to consider the possibility that she just did not have an answer. Perhaps it never crossed her mind that it was possible to happen.
She lifted her head again and apologised, "I didn't mean it. I'm very sorry!"
Amelia sighed and waved her hand, "It's fine."
She let out a breath of relief when realising that she did not mind it. She was so worried that her heart was beating rapidly. Her mind wandered somewhere else as she took a glance at her weapon, which was at its usual spot.
"Amelia, you're going to come over more often?" She was testing the waters.
Amelia tilted her head, "If I want to. So no."
She hesitated, her mouth opened and closed without a word coming out of it. She could not ask once Amelia had said so. Nonetheless Amelia already knew what she was going to ask, so she placed down another paper before talking.
"If you want me to train you, I can do it. How many times do you want in a week?"
She could only make a noise, "Huh?"
"Don't huh me. How many times?" Amelia clicked her tongue after glancing at her.
She was shocked and answered, "3 times a week. In the morning."
"Good. I won't go easy on you."
She nodded enthusiastically, an excited smile on her lips. She was looking forward to getting stronger despite knowing how tough it would be due to Amelia being her mentor. Andrata did not mind at all.
If it was for her to become stronger, then this would be worth it.
"Got time to spare?" Aeon asked while wearing his red jacket.
Andrata looked back and forth on them as Amelia placed the last paper down on the ground. She started to stretch her limbs, sparing him a glance but not saying a word. She shrugged as she stood up, her hands in her pant's pockets.
"Andrata, make sure none of them fly away or go missing, alright?" She pointed at the massive stack of paperwork.
"Alright!"
Amelia and Aeon left the apartment together, with her following behind him. Whilst April and Andrata were curious as to what they could be up to, they decided against it and chose to stay back at home instead.
"So, what do you want?" She asked directly.
He did not reply, simply ruffling her hair with a grin. She did not know what to respond as she was unsure of why he invited her out. She chose not to think much over it and went along with him as he continued walking.
They were strolling through the streets as it was crowded. She looked around while humming, having a smile on her lips that reached her eyes. He looked over his shoulder and noticed his smile. His heart started beating faster in warmth.
She clearly trusted him as she followed him along without questioning him. All along the way they did not say a word, but were comfortable in each other's presence. He slowed down as he wanted to wait for her.
"What are you doing?" She said while staring.
He continued walking once they were side to side, getting the chance to take her hand. His hands were soft which was abnormal considering how long he'd lived and what work he did. His fingers entangled with hers and held her tightly, afraid to let her go.
She chuckled, "That's just what you wanted eh?"
He noticed the light tint on her cheeks as he held her hands. He laughed when seeing it, obviously ridiculing her for blushing. She hit his shoulder with a frown, her cheeks even puffed up into a small pout.
"You're so cute," He said as he ruffled her hair.
"Please don't add on to my misery." She muttered.
He ignored her words as he raised their hands up and kissed hers. He did not linger for long yet he could feel the heat from her fingers.
"A… Aeon…"
Her eyes looked at anywhere else but him, the tint had become more visible than before.
"Get to your point or I'll drop kick you." She half-heartedly threatened him.
He was unfazed by it however, "Alright alright. Just a bit more."
They had not left much of the streets she knew, yet she had a feeling that he was not going to stop anywhere near here. He covered her eyes with his free hand as he dragged her along, hesitantly continuing walking along to who knows where.
"If you were going to prank me, I'm going to kick you in the face."
He chuckled at her words, "I don't dare."
When he stopped, he let go of his hand.
It was a place she had been familiar with, perhaps too much.
The myriads of flowers from forget-me-nots to tulips, all in the same shade of blue. Blue that resembled the ocean, river and skies. It was a field of flowers surrounding an empty pond, the same shade of blue as every flower here.
"You and your mom have the same taste."
He let go of her hand as he walked forward, "You think so?"
'It was the same place she chose to have a chat a few days ago.' Those words stayed with her.
"What do you want to talk about?" She sat near the pond.
He sat down next to her, not saying anything at first. His eyes were staring at the water, pondering about something. She had a few ideas on what he wanted to chat about but chose silence as a way to pass time.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times, words were stuck in his throat. He did not know how to start or how to continue. She glanced at him a few times, figuring out what was going on in his mind. She was curious about what he was thinking about.
"Why did you become a Goddess?"
Peculiar question. Out of everything he could have asked, he chose that. Perhaps it had been in his mind for a long time yet never had the chance to ask. Or it was simply something he wanted to know that was thought of just now.
"You should know by now." She answered.
It was a reply that did not answer his question. Although there was a reason for it.
She continued, "You already looked at something you shouldn't have. I thought I did warn you not to, but you still look at it anyways."
"I'm… sorry…" He apologies by looking down on the pond.
"I understand your fear. But there is nothing you can do about it. Though, none of us can do anything about it."
Silence persisted in the air afterwards. There was something she had always understood when they had first met, maybe it was something in his eyes that showed it. Or it was the way he saw people that gave it off.
She understood this was not a straight-forward road, yet she had chosen it.
"Let's talk about something less depressing. Leave that for another time." She slapped his back while cheering him up.
He groaned as she slapped him pretty hard. He sat up straight and glanced over, noticing a small grin as she stared back at him. She shook her head, at least her detour worked out. She spoke first, dragging him out of his state.
"How's Andrata coming along?"
He tilted his head, "Alright? I'm not really sure. She is improving."
"Has she improved to a certain point yet?"
He blinked a few times before asking, "What do you mean by a certain point?"
"Oh. You didn't know?"
She did not answer his curiosity, letting it brew over for a while before saying anything. He was running through multiple possibilities in his head yet none of them made too much logical sense. He scratched the back of his head as he continued to ponder.
"Andrata hasn't unsealed her weapon, yet." She finally replied.
"There is a seal on it?!" He did not know about that.
She added, "An unconventional seal. It is basically to see how far the wielder has gotten. Once they achieve a certain point, they can unseal it and use its full output."
"So I'm willing to bet that she had not gotten far on that point yet."
She pinched his cheeks before she continued, "So don't baby her too much. If you do, she will never reach full strength."
He raised his arms up in defeat, "Alright alright. Now would you let go?"
She did let him go after a bit longer, wanting to see some pain on his face. He placed a hand over his cheek and rubbed it lightly. She turned her attention to the flowers as a gentle breeze blew through the land, making them sway side to side.
"Why do dead people become flowers?" This time, it was her turn to ask something odd.
Aeon explained, "They are not really dead people. Just the remnant of their souls and feelings being placed in something physical instead of floating around in the area."
"But seriously though, why flowers?"
Amelia reached out for one, placing her finger on a delicate petal. She was mesmerised by it, eyes unable to look away.
"I guess because mother loves flowers. I'm not entirely sure why she does. After all, every time I use something related to my authority will be accompanied by flowers."
Something clicked in her mind as she said, "Perhaps it is because to Rose, flowers meant life."
"Eh?" He let out an audible confusion.
"Some people do place flowers on their loved ones' graves, though they meant nothing in particular at times yet it would sometimes be related to receiver or giver. Also your authority has very much to do with life, so that proves it." She elaborated.
He propped his head up with his fist, "I've thought of it that way. Just never placed two and two together."
"I doubt you ever thought of it that way."
"Come on now…"
She shook her head as his cheeks puffed out. There was this undeniable happiness in her eyes that subconsciously drew him closer to her. He wanted to have a closer look, yet he was unsure if he had more intentions in mind.
She noticed quickly that he was leaning closer to her, she panicked internally. Her body froze as she realised how close he had gotten, approaching her personal space. She was not used to physical intimacy in any way.
That gave him the chance to lean in.
His forehead touched hers, his face was closed but his eyes were closed. He would have said something about her frozen state and widened eyes, yet he did not have the chance to. His lips were a thin line, something was going on.
"Hana." His voice was a whisper, almost pleading while saying her name.
His voice surprised her as she jolted when hearing it. She was unsure what to say since she did not know what he was going to say. Her body loosened up the longer he stayed there, her eyes had the slight glint of concern in them.
"You…"
It was sudden, she knew that as much. She did not know what to do and could only try to listen as his voice began cracking. His body was shaking as he tried to talk yet his mouth remained agap as he leaned on her shoulder.
"I hate you…" This time his voice came out as a whimper.
Her fingers were raking his hair, softly massaging his scalp as he tried to relax.
That attempt was to no avail however.
"Why won't you ever…" He could not finish his sentence as his sobs took over.
She pushed his head more onto her shoulder, "You're thinking too much."
"I swear you are the… reckless one…"
He breathed in and out slowly as his tears fell, staining her blouse with it. She did not bother, letting him cry as much and as long as he wanted to.
There was something unspoken between them. What he was saying only made sense to her; What she was saying only made sense to him. He knew something he should not have, yet she could not find it in herself to scold him for crossing that line.
"I hate you." He repeated it a few times.
She sighed and nodded in agreement, not retorting his statement.
She generally would have said something sarcastic or insult him in return, but in this state of his doing that would accelerate it. She would rather not have a crying mess of a human being in her arms, she would be panicking much more than now.
"Was this what you wanted to talk about?" She asked once he calmed down more.
"More than that…'' His words trailed off, voice was hoarse.
"Wanna talk about it right now?"
Initially, he did not reply with words or physically. She remained still as he rested there, his eyes could not meet with hers as much as he wanted to. He groaned, slowly raising his head up yet his head hung low.
"Hana, why are you still going through this?"
"This is the best outcome for any of us."
He shook his head, "There would be a better one if you considered any other options."
"There are no better options that give a better outcome. If there is, I would've tried it."
He grabbed her shoulder, "There would be a safer option. The outcome is fine."
"It's too important here, I can't just have a lesser option than the one I'm on."
He knew it was impossible to ask of her though he wanted to attempt. He was reaching out to that part of her that was not logical, it was the slight part of her that was emotionally logical.
"Please Amelia…" He grabbed her hands while pleading.
They went into a stalemate, not saying a word about it. The tension started rising as long as the silence went on. Neither of them were willing to speak up, though their walls had been broken down now.
Amelia spoke up first, "No."
Aeon sighed, letting go of her hands. Despite knowing the miniscule chance of success, he had wished he got the good end of this stick. It was clear to him that this was not enough for her to change her mind.
Perhaps next time, before she got too deep.
He changed the topic before she spoke, "I'm always interested in the history here."
"Why so? Is it because who was behind it?"
"In some ways."
She shook her head, "Haven't you seen so many tragedies? How are you still interested in them?"
He did not respond at first, touching the flower petal with his finger. He was incredibly gentle with it, handling its life with such care as to not rekt any of it. It was to make sure that they would not be hurt by him.
"I have seen too many. But I still get particularly attached to people in ways. So… I do know this place is beautiful, yet behind its beauty have such tragedy in it. And… it involves you as well…" He trailed off as he stared at the skies.
She shook her head as she took the chance to ruffle his hair. She was trying to comfort him, in her own way. No matter how subtle her actions were at times, he would understand it without her having mentioned a word about it.
"You're going to break yourself someday. Don't think too much about it." She mumbled loud enough for him to hear.
She eventually leaned on his shoulder, her eyes staring at somewhere.
The wind blew through the land, letting the flowers sway once again. Despite the events that occurred here before, she would be lying if she said that this place scared her. Along with the breeze and barely anyone here, it was the calmest place she knew.
Aside from the memories associated here.
'I don't mind, if it is for you guys.'
Even if those words did not leave Aeon's lips, Amelia knew it by heart.
That was why this was an incredibly rocky road, yet it was still bearable.
Silence had been persistent in her life, even when it had no reason for existing in that moment.
The skies had turned dark, much gloomier than usual. It seemed like it was going to rain in a moment. The sound of thunder could be heard occasionally, signaling that rain was about to come. People had begun to go somewhere with shelter or going home.
It was a familiar rundown store that caught her eye.
She pushed the door, noticing that it was a small bar. Although once she noticed the bartender, she knew where she had gone into. She groaned and took an extra seat near the bar, looking around it to see who was there.
It had some people in it, not as much as some of the bars she visited every now and then. It was more quiet than anyone would expect a bar to be. There was still this homely feeling to whoever frequented. Perhaps it was the decor that gave the feel.
It was bright enough to see yet there were very few neon-lights. The hanging lights felt off fashioned, same with the tables and bar stools. It made her wonder where they got it from, or was it custom-made?
Walls painted in dull brown and striking red; Warm yellow light giving an inviting feel to the bar.
Despite the atmosphere that it naturally gave, there was this sense of unease that remained tenacious. She knew exactly why as she turned her attention back to the bartender. He smiled at her as he placed a glass of Old Fashioned in front of her.
"Are you toying with me?" Her eyes never left his figure as she spoke.
He shook his head yet his smile remained, "Please, I won't ever think about it."
"I thought a master of your calibre would never be seen out."
From the way his facial expression changed for a split second, confusion was apparent. He gathered himself before she said anything about it, the insincere smile returning to his lips. She knew that it did not reach his eyes though chose to not comment.
"I would only be out when I want to, Amelia." The way he spoke was as if spitting out filler to hide his intent.
She took up the glass in her hands, staring at it but not taking a sip.
"What do you want, Sensu?"
She swirled it around before taking a sip, judging the taste first before meeting his eyes with hers. While he was unsure if he had done well due to her not having much of a visible expression on her face. Unless she did then he must have missed it.
Sensu had two-toned hair, white on the outside and faint grey underside. It reached slightly below his shoulder although he tied it up into a bun so nobody would have hair in their drinks. His light blue mixed with bare-bones grey had a glint of mischief in them as he continued their conversation.
"Why don't you ask what he wants?" He turned around and continued cleaning some glasses.
A somewhat confused Cyliam appeared out of thin air, sitting next to her. She did not have the same bewilderment as him, perhaps knowing that he was there all along. It would explain why she chose to sit next to it despite it being empty to the naked eye.
"You guys are working together now?" Her unamused tone came through more than usual.
"Not… entirely."
He could barely form a response as his head was still running through what and how it had happened. She took another sip as she observed his situation, cracking a small grin on the corner of her lips.
"Sensu, help him out will ya? He looks so confused it's hard for me to keep my laughter down." She ragged him on as she smirked.
He shrugged, "Sure sure."
He placed the clean cup down before going on a long ramble. Long for her standards.
"Put it simply, he just wanted my help with something. I guess he already violated both of your contracts at this point. Anyways, he basically wants to get rid of the organisation and everyone else along with it, erasing it by himself basically."
Was it surprising? To anyone else, it would have been. Yet, to Amelia it was just another occurrence she had to deal with, from the way she gazed at them. She did not give them a concrete answer as she downed the rest of her drink.
"Tell me you have a plan for dealing with it."
Cyliam finally snapped out of his confusion and answered, "Yes. Yes I do."
"How risky is it?"
"I'd say we have a 80% chance of failing."
"Huh. Even with Sensu's help?" She raised her cup towards Sensu, gesturing for him to pour her another drink.
He shook his head, "80% by myself. But if you two were on board, then it should be 20%."
"You honestly think more hands would be much more helpful?"
He nodded, "Only you two and some more people that is."
Sensu poured her a Martini, a drink he knew she liked. She was unsure what he was trying to do, the smile on his lips concerned her most of all. She took another sip of her drink, her eyes staring at them closely.
"They are not going to take it well."
He shook his head, "They aren't going to take it well."
She turned her attention to Sensu, "What are you gaining from working with him?"
It was for curiosity, one that he had seen coming. He was known to be not working in the front lines, almost ever. However this time he had come out of his hiding spot and happily served people too, though he was probably dying inside.
"What do you think? You would know." He was challenging her.
She had a few ideas, despite not entirely expecting this situation. This was a possibility though was not one she would have thought he was going. Then again, she could not see the entire picture from where she was standing.
And now, she could.
"Do you think I know everything?"
He chuckled before saying, "You are always ahead of them. Unless you are not this time."
She groaned, knowing that she could not get out of this.
"Your greed knows no bounds."
That was the best she could say, despite having not much of an idea in her mind. From the way Sensu looked back at her, she knew that her words were on point. That was what he wanted in the simplest terms.
Nevertheless, she was not particularly interested in knowing his intent.
"At least put more effort into it." His words were referring to the energy she was letting out.
She did not reply, taking another sip of her drink. Cyliam knew he had to carry on the conversation or walk out of here, this brewing tension was getting on his nerves. While he was scrambling for something, she spoke up.
"What are you going to do with Noir?"
He closed his mouth, unable to say anything as he felt like he was struck by something he had forgotten and placed it aside.
The three of them went completely silent, even something like a glass breaking would gain their absolute attention. Amelia and Sensu had nothing to add to it, they were not the ones involved in it. Perhaps Amelia would have to, hence why she asked.
'What was I going to do with him…' He was clueless.
He knew what had made him sign that contract all those years ago. Yet now when his journey, potentially his life, was about to come to a close, he did not know how to deal with it. He had been mentally prepared for anything else but that.
"Just figure it out yourself then."
It was something she had expected. After all, their contract did not have a time constraint yet it could be broken apart once one of the parties could no longer keep their side up. It was possible for Noir to stay with Cyliam permanently.
However, he pursued a future for others, not for himself.
"Am I allowed to ask you for help?" He suddenly asked as he remembered something.
She raised her eyebrow, "Why would I?"
"I didn't exactly violate our contract. So I can still ask things from you."
"Don't you want the staff?"
It was clear that it was one-sided.
Despite what she said, she did not want much from him. She simply wanted his cooperation. At least that was what it seemed on the surface.
"What do…." He was shocked by her offer.
She chuckled, "This is what happens when you agree to something you had no knowledge of beforehand."
He clicked his tongue, knowing that he could say no now. If he did, he would put his people in danger. He knew that she would do whatever she said back to them, that was the kind of person that she was.
"You want me to stir up internal conflict?"
"Yes, in whatever ways you liked."
The idea of such was baffling to him. As far as he was concerned, he had no reason to cause trouble to the rest of them. Besides, now that Salem was dead, they would be on guard more than usual.
"Why would I want to do something like that?" His lips moved before he had time to process his frustration.
His facial expression shifted fast, knowing that he had said something he was suppressing for a long time. She seemed unconcerned by the whole ordeal, especially with the smile on her lips. He sat back down, calming himself for whatever it was she was going to say.
Although what came out of her was shocking to him.
"Are you sure that it isn't what you wanted?"
As much as he wanted to deny it, he could not find the strength.
He had his doubts before going in. They were never cleared out by anyone even if they had noticed it. After that encounter with Asura, he had even more doubts in his head. He had put it aside to focus on his job.
Yet the longer it went on, the more he realised that it was not for him.
Her words echoed in his head as they sat in silence. She allowed space for him to think it over despite already knowing the answer to her request.
"A pitiful puppet you are." She mumbled.
Why did he want the staff back? He had broken his end of the deal by not executing some of the higher ups, that was why she killed Salem. He still had the staff to get back, again securing the power he had over the land.
But… If he was going to leave sooner or later, then why would he want them back?
"Fine."
He had struck a deal with the devil before. Yet the woman in front of him was more devilish than them.
"Not anymore. I have no use for them."
She took another sip as she glanced at him, "Not even for your own use?"
"I… don't even need it…?" He replied with some confusion.
She shrugged, drinking and finishing the rest of her drink.
"Alright that's it. I'll tell you more when the time comes."
He got up and quickly left. It was an unexpected reaction, though she did not care. Sensu stared at him until his figure left his line of sight. He turned his attention back to her who had not asked for any more.
"I thought you were the type that drank a lot."
She rolled her eyes, "I'm not an alcoholic."
"That is an addiction problem." He retorted with a smirk.
"You get my point."
He eyed Amelia as she sat there, her eyes closed. He was uncertain what she was thinking, though he had fun staring at her. His mind went through some possibilities, filling up some of the free space in his head.
"You all are such terrible liars."
Her words had quite the effect on him. His polite smile had turned into a slight frown.
She knew somehow that people saw him as charismatic, perhaps it was the voice he would talk in whenever someone would come by to meet him. This was also why this bar earned well, mostly due to his looks.
It retained even when he frowned.
"What do you mean by liars? As far as I know, I did not lie a single time." He said while letting out a puff of air.
If it was anyone else, they might have turned away or switched their conversation right now. Still, she continued on. The growing air had begun to affect everyone else in the bar, directly their attention solely to them both.
"There is something else you want as well."
He shook his head, "What else could I want?"
The silence was intentional, exerting much more pressure than needed.
He understood her well enough so to know why she would be doing such things.
"You told me before why you became the underground boss." She paused.
She did not pause intentionally since there was someone behind her. The mischievous glint in her eyes stayed, the corner of her lips curling up into a grin as she stared at Sensu. He sighed, waving as a signal for his guard to put away his weapon.
They had pointed a gun at her head in point blank range. She reacted before they pulled out their weapon though she did not block him. He narrowed his eyes at her, wanting her to continue what she was about to say.
"Your greed does know no bounds. Because you want more than just power, don't you?"
From the way she smirked and how his guards reacted, she knew she hit the nail in the head.
"Not that you don't know our foundation is built upon blood and more blood."
He tilted his head as he continued, "Don't you want something too? Because you hardly ever participated in things like this."
"Of course. Then again…" She stopped abruptly and raised her empty cup up.
She raised it to let a warm yellow light pass through it, her lips curling up into a sinister grin. This was the first time that grin reached her eyes, the glint in them became more apparent than before. He found himself subconsciously on guard to ensure his safety.
"Some people just want to see the world burn~"
Her voice was higher pitched than usual, even her aura felt way different.
It was unrestrained, seeping out everywhere. She easily affected everyone in the same space as her with an unprecedented level of anxiety. For the first time in a long while, he could feel his chest beating out of control.
"Though there is more to it of course." She said as she placed the glass down.
The atmosphere went back to usual, however most were still shaken by it earlier. They had chatter amongst themselves in whispers, making sure that she could not hear them. She only smiled at it, not minding their gossip.
"Does he look like he wants to live?"
The nature of the question was odd yet it struck a chord with him.
"Those are the eyes of someone who is ready to be buried along with the blaze, Sensu. He had never thought that he would live through it." She commented.
He shrugged, "Is that what you mean by we all are terrible liars?"
She nodded. She placed her elbow on the table as her fist propped her head up, her head slightly tilted to the left as she stared at him.
"Though I would be looking forward to you betraying us~"
He cracked a small smile before making another drink for her, "Do I look like I would betray anyone of you anytime soon?"
"Sure you hold your words. But who is it to say there isn't a more enticing offer."
She chuckled as he poured her another cocktail. She stared at it while it flowed into her cup, he pushed it towards her with a light smile. This time, his smile was sincere. Maybe he had found the situation to be amusing.
"Though the least you can do is ensure that I don't find both of yours and more cold carcasses on the ground." She took a sip of her drink.
He laughed loudly before responding, "I don't die that easily, Amelia. You underestimate me too much, don't you?"
"Just being honest. And I don't drink that much." She proceeded to place her glass back on the table.
"If it's not suited for your taste, just tell me then."
She waved her hand, "I don't feel like drinking right now, okay?"
She stood up and placed some money on the counter. She said goodbye to him by using her signature lazy wave. He kept his eyes on her as she left, looking back at the money she placed for him.
One of his guards came up to him in worry, though he waved with a light grin.
"She's just like that. It's alright."
The night grew quiet once again, leaving only the occasional sound of bugs to fill the space.