While poaching scientists and researchers from Rhine labs, Ash was patiently waiting for Muelsyse to give them any information.
"Ahhh, I'm booored~" Ash propped up his head with his hand and yawned. Shining chuckled and thought he needed stimulus to keep him in one spot.
"Hmmm~ I think we can exercise a bit~" Degenbrecher purred as she whispered to him. Margaret and Shining deadpanned at her and Ash wasn't having it.
"Degenbrecher, baby. We just had tons of exercise last night with Margaret." He rolled his eyes and Degenbrecher pouted.
"Fine, suit yourself. You were the one that got me addicted to it." She puffed her cheeks and he sighed.
"Alright, then if you want to exercise that much. Go and follow Shining with a lead that we found. Margaret, keep her in line please. Maylander is too suspicious, I know they're putting their grubby hands on Rhine labs." Ash squinted his eyes.
Degenbrecher sighed, while Margaret and Shining just nodded. "But what about Liz? You gonna take care of her while we're gone?" Shining was of course worried about her Sarkaz friend.
"Yeah, don't worry about Liz. She'll be coming with me. Thankfully, she isn't that much trouble to handle. Isn't that right Liz? You're a good girl aren't cha?" Ash patted her head and she nodded without any reactions whatsoever.
"Yes, so please give me more texts to read." Liz looked up at him and he sighed, she still has a blank affect.
"Sure, let's talk about it later." Ash smiled at her and he shooed off the others for their mission.
Ash and Liz just spent some time together reading some interesting projects or experiments from Rhine labs and he received a message.
"Finally, that Clooney bastard got what I needed." Ash could finally go ahead with his experiments.
"Did he now? Well, can I watch your experiments?" Liz was interested in what he'll do.
"Sure, come on let's go ask Kirsten about a little space for us." Ash patted her head and they went to Control's office.
Entering the sterile looking office, Kirsten beamed at him when she saw him. "What do we have here? Are you giving me another tabloid or study?" Kirsten was excited.
"Hold up tiger, I do. But you know how precious these are right?" Ash waved around a tablet with another book for Kirsten to read which he prepared for negotiations.
"Okay, lay it out for me." Kirsten gestured for them to sit and Liz looked at them with interest.
The two just stared at each other and Ash was quite impressed with Kirsten's nerves. The woman's definitely cold as ice when she negotiates.
After a bit, he just asked for a little lab where he can use his new equipment he bought. "Really? Is that it? I would've given you a place regardless, even if you didn't give me this." Kirsten sighed and relaxed.
"Well, Rhine labs is a pretty prestigious place. So I need to get things at the proper channels. Shake on it?" He smiled and Kirsten shook his hand.
"Can I watch your experiments though? And learn more about it?" Kirsten was deathly curious about what he'll be doing.
Liz raised a brow at Ash agreeing. Information about the seaborne is classified. And he agreed without a doubt.
She then had a realization and couldn't help but shake her head. 'I see, he'll be introducing the dangers of the seaborne and make Kirsten pay attention to it.'
The Sarkaz thought that he really is a sly bastard. He was the master of getting something out of any situation. Even something small as asking for a little space to experiment in.
Kirsten told them to come back later for the space and Ash gave her the tablet he had on hand. The Perro quickly checked on it like it was a chest of treasure.
While they were walking around, checking out the other places in Rhine lab. Liz fired a question that threw him off the loop.
"Ash... Don't take offense, but do you really consider us as someone important to you?" He froze and they just stared at each other for a solid minute in the hallway.
"What do you mean Liz?" Ash raised a brow and the Sarkaz sighed. "You already know what I mean... Margaret is my best friend, she told us all about what happened when you met."
"I see... You think that I'm just stringing her around?" He sighed and thought that someone like Liz would definitely think that, it made sense. She had limited emotions and relies a lot on logic.
"Yes, you should understand. You look to be good friends with Kirsten... But you're manipulating her curiosity and interest in you to the maximum. And Margaret... She follows you unconditionally. I don't see you treating her better than Kirsten that a lover should." Liz squinted her eyes.
"Come on, let's take a seat." Ash guided her to a bench and he took some strawberry milk from a nearby vending machine.
"I'm not normal Liz, you should already know that." He looked her in the eye and the Sarkaz nodded.
"What does that have to do with anything I was asking about?" She raised a brow and was getting impatient.
"I was about to get to it, geez. You really do like Margaret and Shining." He chuckled and looked in front.
"Ever since I was a kid, I've been having trouble understanding people and why they act irrationally. You know what I'm talking about right?" Liz nodded and she understood the feeling.
"Margaret and the others... I like them, truly. But my head just wants to keep on using every resource I have on my hand." He sighed and it was a bad habit of his.
"So you are using them?" Liz scowled and he nodded. "Not in the way you think though. I like being with them, their fawning. But not in the way where I'd melt and giggle like a girl in love." He shrugged.
"So you're saying that you're not happy with them?" Liz was glaring daggers at him and he flicked her forehead.
"No, idiot. I don't understand it. I feel fine when they're away from me. I am confident even if the three of them are on a dangerous mission right now. I look at the world through pure reasoning and logic." He furrowed his brows.
He has been here for a decade now, but he still couldn't understand.
"So you're broken?" Liz likened his situation to herself as she couldn't compare it to anyone else.
"Maybe, maybe not. I just don't understand you know? The way where people's chests would tighten when they saw their lover. When their pupils dilate whenever Margaret, Degenbrecher, or Enciades sees me." He looked down on the ground.
"Will you do everything for them?" Liz asked after staying quiet for a while.
"Of course, I don't know if they make me happy in the conventional sense. But seeing them enjoy their lives makes me pleased." He snorted and Liz nodded.
"Then that's good enough for me. They most likely know it. But everyone stays with you still. I don't have any right to dabble in your relationships. Just don't do anything that would hurt them." Liz gave him a meaningful look.
"I promise. You're pretty observant Liz." He chuckled and she huffed. "They're my friends, I'll do anything for them. Even if Shining's family were the ones who experimented on me." She was determined to protect them.
"Huh, I thought the confessarius would do some fucked up shit to you. So Shining told you what they did?" He sighed and dealing with those creepy guys will come one day.
"Yes, we had a talk... Her brother tried to use their arts and infused another soul into me. They poisoned me with originium mist first though. I was basically half dead. I remembered some things, it was for the lord of the fiends they said." Liz frowned.
"Lord of the fiends?" Ash remembered a woman that had a black crown made of originium on their head. Wielding demonic arts that could rival the emperor's blades.
He then shook his head and would ask Sonus about it later. It was a genetic memory from the Sarkaz anyways. And Sonus is most likely the same age as Patriot.
"Come on, let's go prepare for our little experiments." He helped her to stand up and they fetched the equipment.
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Meanwhile, Saria was right at structural labs once again. Patiently coaxing the blonde girl, because she does not talk and snarls on whoever goes close to her.
"Come on Ifrit, I'm just going to check up on your condition." Silence tried to put some electrodes on her and the now named blonde girl growled like a savage animal.
"Ifrit, come on. Trust Olivia on this, she won't hurt you, I promise." Saria smiled at her and put a hand on her head.
Ifrit only responds well to Saria as the savior of her life. But she still doesn't talk really and just eyes all the scientists warily.
'She looks like a trauma patient... Whatever she was doing there, it must have been done by researchers.' Saria thought about it and Ifrit's trauma is definitely caused by researchers.
The little firecracker glares daggers at anyone that was wearing a uniform except Saria.
Ifrit looked at Silence who was smiling patiently. "Don't worry, I'm infected too. So I won't really do anything to you. We just want to treat you." Silence explained as she showed some of her originium shards.
The girl grunted and looked the other way. Shutting her eyes tightly as Silence and Saria frowned.
Ifrit is preparing for an extremely unpleasant stimulus. So Silence slowly put the electrodes on her so she won't spook Ifrit.
"See? It wasn't really bad. Here, I'll give this to you as a present." Saria took out some strawberry flavored candy from her pocket and gave it to her.
The blonde sniffed it warily and her eyes widened at the treat's smell. She popped it into her mouth and released a cute groan from the taste.
"Saria, she looks good. But professor Parvis is correct. If we don't do anything about it, Ifrit's body won't last at all." Silence checked on her computer and showed it to Saria.
"Shit, her blood originium levels are that high?" Saria balled her fist. Ifrit would definitely crash after a bit of time.
"I'll talk to the professor about this Saria. We'll continue treatments after Ifrit trusts us a bit more." Silence looked at Ifrit who was more relaxed now after eating her candy.
"I can only hope she will do so faster Olivia. I leave her to your care, I have things to do." Saria left and Silence nodded.
Silence went to Ifrit and sat beside her. "Do you like it?" She smiled and Ifrit nodded at her slowly.
"So, Saria found you. She's cool right?" Ifrit nodded with a bit more excitement and Silence chuckled.
She then started telling stories about Saria and the little blonde listened intently. Until she got sleepy due to fatigue and leaned on Silence.
"Sleep well Ifrit, you need to gather your strength." Silence patted her head and tucked her in her bed.
"I heard that Silence is treating a terminally infected kid. Doesn't she know? There's no cure for oripathy. Damned infected, she probably wants to save her own kind." Silence heard a voice and she froze.
"That's right, that bitch. I don't know what Dr. Parvis sees in her. Just because she got good grades upon graduation. What an arrogant infected bitch." A man said with venom from his tongue and Silence looked down with a forlorn expression.
"I also heard that she's buttering up chief Saria. What a little snake, are we sure she's a Liberi? A snake whore is probably much better suited." Another bad mouthed her and Silence was about to tear up.
"Hmmm? What did you say you cunts? Are you really badmouthing your colleague because she's Parvis' protege?" Silence heard a deep rumbling voice.
"Yeah, w-what about it?" The woman's voice was shaky and Ash walked up to them. With the top of their heads just reaching his abdomen.
"What indeed. I'd say that your disrespect to the emperor of Leithanien warrants an execution." He put a hand on her head and lifted her up as he put a hand on her neck.
"Hiiiiee! Please don't kill me! Let go of me!" The woman cried out.
"Hmph, typical. I hate your types. I memorized your faces, you won't be working on any lab in Terra anymore." Ash snorted and threw her right at the other two.
"That was new, you don't normally do anything about trouble unless it benefits you." Liz chuckled.
"I despise those kinds, little turds. Maybe I should just kill them? Kirsten won't mind at all. Saria doesn't need to know where they'll be swimming later." He laughed and Silence broke into a cold sweat.
"Isn't that right? Olivia Silence?" Ash looked at the corner of the break room and she slowly showed herself.
"Uh... H-hello." She bowed while trembling and she couldn't look him in the eye. His slitted eyes looked like the eyes of a predator that was bearing down on a little bird.
"Well met, don't let it get to you." He patted her on the shoulder and left.
Ash furrowed his brows and remembered one of his colleagues that killed themselves after nasty gossip like that spread.
He growled and his body temperature was rising. Ash might not be that emotionally intelligent. But there is an emotion that he feels full force, rage.
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"Hmph, that evil man is making me his lackey..." Muelsyse were checking the other departments one by one.
She then remembered that he called her his little pet Mumu. "Kuuu! I'll show him! I'll get some evidence and show it to Kirsten. I don't need his stinking help." Muelsyse puffed her cheeks.
After checking the multiple departments, she did saw some suspicious items on the other ones. But not really as harmful as the one who was selling equipment to other parties.
"Ahhh, this is gonna make me crazy. I can't find anything? How did that man knew there's a traitor in Rhine labs?" Muelsyse pulled on her hair.
She was now currently checking on Parvis' office. The old man is a kind old man and she suspected him last.
And Mumu turned to water, infiltrating the office without any problem. Disabling the electronics of the cameras.
"Hmm, nothing. Nothing, these are just papers and projects for structural..." Mumu propped her chin with her arm and catalogued the papers lazily.
"A locked container?" Mumu stared at the bottom drawer and she made a key with her finger. Opening it up with ease.
"Another project? Boring..." Mumu scanned over the folder and she read it nonchalantly. It was named project Diabolic.
But after scanning the files, she focused up. Reading it with furrowed brows. "Human experimentation... Saria needs to know this."
Mumu found out that the lab her friend was investigating exploded not because of bombs or chemicals. It was due to a person that was being transplanted the remnants of the Diablo Sarkaz.
"Shit... This might not be about the corruption. But this is unethical. Saria will appreciate this well. Should I show it to that guy? Nah, Saria will most likely tell him... They're all chummy now." Mumu scowled and she quickly took pictures of the project.
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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.