Kissenn and Ellianor sleep together on the sofa. They were sitting on it, using each other as support not to fall. It was almost cute.
Muriel continued to sharpen his blade, a small smile on the corner of his lips. 'Let them enjoy this small peace while they can. Soon they will be dragged into our hell.'
They should enjoy their parade as much as they could because it would not last forever. 'When it falls apart, it will crash and burn like a star.'
Like all those others he has seen, like all the endings he saw, as he persisted through this world.
"They are the newcomers, grumpy?" She called him to the side: Looky blue hair, purple skin, and red eyes.
A suit and blazer, two wing-like cylinders floating around her, and a falchion resting by her waist. Muriel's magenta gaze narrowed on her. Hallowed pupils clashed against slit ones.
His good mood has been ruined already. "Say. Urien backed off and is now doing his oh-so-precious missions?" His hand itched against the blade.
She answered with a large, emotionless smile.
"Don't be so rude, grumpy. You know he likes to do important stuff first and foremost." Muriel scoffed loudly, his fingers tapping against the blade.
"As if we don't do anything important either. Sometimes we should remember everyone has a crucial mission we have to finish."
His words were dry, his distaste made clearer. Her eyes narrowed on his, they would get nowhere in this talk.
"You may be right, but some are more important than others. All is not made equal. Their first mission has been relegated to me, so I will help them complete it." Her gaze turned to the children, asleep.
She moved to greet them and hop them on their first mission. Before she took a step, Muriel was already before her, and their sleeping forms.
His blade in hand aimed at her neck.
"Let them be. They just got out of a fight for their lives and got into an Arch-Demon's way." His voice was resolute, his gaze unwavering, the arch of light in his tightened, pushing into the iris.
Their gazes remained locked on each other. The cylinders cycled, a two-hand cannon made of light emerging from it.
"We will have to fight somewhere else." The air shook around Muriel, as chains started to unravel the ground, and even the space around them, his blade shining gold, as the woman narrowed her eyes on the "enemy" at hand.
"You always had a soft heart. We have to do what has to be done. On a true battlefield, they will have no time to sleep or rest, better get used to it."
The truth of their job was not easy, nor were the burdens, and the sins, they would have to carry for the rest of their lives.
'The sooner they adapt to it, the better.' There would not be someone to cuddle them forever.
"That's not a battlefield, much less the place for them to get used to it. We have time to spare." Muriel didn't bulge, his position on the matter solid as the foundation of a mountain.
Her hands rested on the triggers of the hand cannons, ready to shoot at him. Muriel smiled in antecipation, an eager hunger for her to start to conflict, and cast the first shot.
"OI. Oi. No fighting 'ere. Hoggy is not fond of violence in her room." A third party interfered in their prelude of a showdown. His hand touched the cage of chains, and they were undone.
The weapons of light in her hands vanished alongside the chains, as a rough-looking, but smiling blond stood before them. "You will have enough time to nip at each other later."
Yuri was there, and he pointed at the sleeping Ellianor and Kissenn. "Besides, they are greener than an avocado. Let 'em sleep a little before hopping in a quest, Aur."
Aur gritted her teeth and backed off. "You all treat newcomers too nicely. It will get them spoiled." She chirped, her face turning into a poker face, hiding her emotions completely.
Yuri laughed.
"That is not treating them nice, is just having decency. Your lot work people like slave drivers." Yuri let out a small barb at Aur, as Muriel held his blade down, the situation defused.
"It is what is expected of us who ward off the wrong in this universe, is it not? We can't slack off, there is no rest for the wicked, after all." Yuri sighed in understanding, scratching his unshaven beard.
"I give that to you, we truly cannot rest. How many of us are criminals again?"
"Twenty-five of our current members." Muriel chimed in with the answer, drawing the attention of both of his colleagues.
Yuri laughed out loud.
"That takes those two and Hoggy out of the way. Who are the other two?" Muriel's gaze rested on Yuri for a moment, a small smile crept on his face against his will.
"The last one I would rather not divulge." He turned around as Yuri held his chin in thoughtful ponder about who the last one would be.
"Don't you think it is rude to leave us hanging, Grumpy?" Aur turned to stare at Muriel's back, for a moment he stopped on his feet, looking at her with an evil eye.
"You and the others should run through the archives one of these days. It is easy to find how many empires and republics want our heads on a stake."
His voice at first was of reprimand, but both Yuri and Aur felt the underlining emotion Muriel nurtured towards those empires and republics. A hunger, a hunger for battle. Yuri scoffed.
"Aye my friend, but we have around eight members that work as undercovers and do diplomatic stuff for us. They shouldn't be counted, or are you counting their fake identities too?"
Muriel laughed but didn't answer. That was all the answers Yuri would have wanted. "It seems we are not as goody two shoes as we think, huh?"
"It is the way we have been, for good or for worse. We can't escape that web, not until all is said and done."