Mai quietly makes her way near where Kazumi and Tadi sat, nodding at them and giving them a good natured smirk for a hello. Leaning back against a building, she tilted her head back to rest it against the sun-warmed stone. She kept a clear view of the platform, and the two men readying to speak. And those poor kiddos. She sighed through her nose for what felt like the hundreth time that day.
She listened intently, as though she had not seen the carnage firsthand. Mai's eyes were glued to Etoah, watching him carefully. Leading that expedition must have been hard for him. All of a sudden, she was feeling rather guilty for attempting to go against his orders. In hindsight, he was trying to keep an eye on everyone, keep them safe. He loved his people.
The clan murmured to eachother nervously upon hearing Etoah's words. The deputy gave them a few moments to comprehend what he'd told them before continuing.
"If any of you knows anything, even something you didn't think worth mentioning before, regarding this vile tragedy, I urge you to come forward to Insignious or I."
"Why did it take so long for us to find out? Where were the kids all this time?" Someone shouted to him.
"The kids were with Akihito, who will be informing Insignious of their journey tonight." Etoah said, gesturing to Aki who was standing amongst the people.
Insignious then put the children down and rose onto the stage with Etoah.
"I owe Akihito my everlasting gratitude for taking them and keeping them safe." The leader said, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat, doing his best to mantain his image before everyone.
"As Etoah said, please come to us with any information you have while we decide what our next steps will be. From now on, no one leaves the clan without a partner. Those who can create force-fields, work on expanding your range. We need you now more than ever. Those of you who have armor, wear it. If you don't have some, get some made. Cover your heads, cover your chests, cover your backs. Carry shields with you. I will send out what we have learned to Galeclan and Infernoclan, I'm sure they will want to hold a meeting in the next few days."
Sig looked down for a moment, his mind racing with everything that needed done. Returning his gaze to everyone, he said, "Tonight, we will celebrate the lives of those in Maelstromclan." He smiled a little. "Tell their stories, sing their songs, make their food. We will not let evil destroy the beauty that they held, for we will live it for them."
Insignious then turned to Etoah. "Thank you to Etoah, and to all of his patrol. The strength each of you carry, I admire it every day." He added quietly to his deputy, "-and thank you for making me stay." Then looking at everyone, "Go now. Give no more attention to the darkness, for does the sun not find a way to shine even now?" Sig said, raising an arm and pointing at the moon high above. "I will join you in the next few hours, I hope you're all wasted by then." He laughed, mostly joking, and the crowd giggled with him.
With that, everyone slowly dispersed. Insignious and Etoah shared a few words before nodding and going different ways. Sig met up with Aki, while Etoah stayed on the platform. He pressed his forehead into his palm for a few seconds, doubting he'd have energy to party tonight, before descending the stage's rocky stairs and looking for Mai amongst everyone.
After the crowd began to disperse, Mai pushed herself away from the wall and moved towards the platform. She dodged and weaved between people streaming away, offering an encouraging smile and a 'keep your chin up' to those who attempted to talk to her. Normally she would stop to chat but she had a goal in mind. She approached Etoah on his right.
"Hey." She said, catching him by the shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Kept it lighthearted in greeting, but she was anticipating him to be in some type of way. At the very least upset.
Etoah turned to face her with a sigh and a very common expression he used just for Mai. The sort of face that shows years of looking after her, knowing her patterns, her tendencies, her mischief and her good -though disobedient- intentions.
"Mai," He started, "Back at Maelstrom..."
Etoah drew close to her. His voice lowered and his eyes became hard with urgence.
"I'm not sure what you were planning with Kazumi and Tadi, but," The deputy made sure Mai's eyes were on him. "If ever there was a time that you listened to me. I need it to be now." Etoah's voice was not angry. It was pleading.
"I know you. I know your heart. (at that, he gave her a gentle smile) But I need you here. With me. With us. Not wandering off, not playing around, and absolutely not going against orders. I've never seen anything like this, Mai. And I'm afraid of you getting yourself killed. No matter what I tell you to do...do it. Please."
Her lips pursed, and she looked into his eyes. They parted, and closed, again and again, as she forced herself not to interrupt until he finished.
"Look, we-- I, wanted to deal with the bodies respectfully-- Doll, they're laying there with their eyes glazed over and their mouths collecting flies."
"I'm sorry. Follow your orders." She reaches around to scratch the nape of his neck affectionately. "Can't kill me. I'm going to live forever." She then pointed to some fine lines on her forehead that had developed as of recently in jest.
"It's the living bodies we need to worry about right now, Mai."
Etoah smiled at her touch in a surrendering sort of way. After a moment of peaceful stillness, he nodded and said, "Now go on, go have fun with everyone."
He then leaned himself against the building near them, where Insignious had disappeared with Aki, and dutifully waited for his leader. Around them, there had already begun the setting up of party business.
Insignious spent the next hour shut away in his home with Akihito, listening as the demon explained all that he’d witnessed and experienced with the children. The leader sat on a wooden chair at his kitchen table while Akihito stood across from him. Aki told him where he’d gone, where he’d left the children and for how long, and how he’d found Yuuki in Solarisclan.
As the demon paced the room and recalled the past week detail by detail, a strange dreadful feeling began to grow in Insignious’s core. Since Akihito had arrived, there was a familiarity to him that he hadn’t been able to place. The way he would anxiously take a seat, then stand, then sit again as he told his story. The way his head tilted and his hands spread wide when he’d describe what he saw. The way he formed his words and emphasized the end of his sentences.
It wasn’t until Aki raised both hands at once and touched his ears in a very specific manor, brushing hair away from them gently, that Insignious nailed it. This man was the spitting image of his brother. Apollo would constantly brush hair away from his ears when his silver mane got tangled in his earrings. And the way the demon occasionally rubbed the left side of his neck, where Apollo's tattoo had been branded, was simply uncanny.
He watched the demon melt every time Yuuki was mentioned. And when Insignious would counter him with a question, he’d see on Akihito’s face the same nervous frown Apollo wore when Korosu would reprimand him as a child.
The dreadful feeling inside of him grew- slowly turning, shaping and festering into a sick, dark realization. Sig had his elbows on the table and his mouth resting on his fingers that were pressed together when Aki came to an end with his explanation.
“-And that’s when we arrived here.”
The leader stared hard at the grains in the wooden table, taking in the feelings developing in his head. Little pieces connecting, gradually forming an answer. His dark teal eyes narrowed and he lowered his hands to the wood.
“…Did Apollo ever tell you about Kirai?” Insignious asked abruptly. Akihito looked at him in surprise.
“He did.”
“Kirai the murderer, the thief... Did he tell you Yuuki had to kill him? Twice. Because the damn fool just. Wouldn’t. Stop.” At this, Sig’s eyes rose slowly to meet with Aki’s. The air around them prickled with growing tension.
“Kirai the violator. He was entirely unwelcome.”
Insignious stood, glowering at the man. Leaning across the table and drawing close to the devil, he growled, “He still is." The wooden chair creaked as Akihito shrunk back in his seat. He was speechless, and in that moment he felt a fear of Insignious that he’d never experienced. Though everything in him was screaming to run, he felt himself cowering before this man who was once the boy he’d bullied mercilessly.
“Insignious, I-”
“Where’s your tattoo?” Insignious hissed in a whisper.
“My what-?”
“Your slaver brand.” Akihito’s hand naturally raised up to his neck before hesitating. The leader leaned back, stood up and gestured for him to come along.
“That’s what I thought. Come with me, ‘Akihito’. I’ve heard enough.” Without waiting, Sig grabbed Aki by his arm and heaved him to his feet. The demon stared at the ground with glazed eyes, unable to think straight as his mind raced with fear.
Etoah flinched in surprise as his leader came storming through the door of his house, dragging Akihito behind him. What’s going on…? He watched in growing concern as Insignious approached the nearest warrior and said, “Jeremiah- take Akihito and put him in cell six. Immediately. No visitors.”
Frowning, the deputy walked in a hurry to his leader’s side.
“Sir what happened..?” He leaned forward as Sig drew close to him and whispered his discovery.
The world around them fell away in that moment. He felt his heart stop and his stomach churn. His ears rang. Aki nervously looked up, meeting Etoah’s eyes as the deputy’s expression slowly faded into an unreadable look of disbelief. And sheer rage.
If one listened closely, they may have heard the quiet snapping of the deputy’s sanity. As blood rushed to his head, he returned to the world.
“Oh you fucking BASTARD-!” Etoah shouted, launching himself at Aki and tackling him to the ground. “YOU FUCKING- MOTHERFUCKING- BASTARD!” He was screaming as he mercilessly beat the demon’s face into the dirt. The few people nearby gasped in shock, having never seen the deputy lose his temper. Akihito buckled underneath the warrior and attempted to cover his face, only to get his shoulders grabbed and slammed again and again and again against the earth.
“Etoah!” Insignious exclaimed, hurrying to the ground and, with the help of nearby warriors, attempting to pull the deputy away. “Stop! We need him alive!” Seeing red, Etoah pushed them away and smashed his fist down into the demon’s chest- a loud crack splitting the air as Akihito’s collar bone snapped.
“How DARE you come back here you SICK MOTHERFUCKER!” He wrapped a hand around Aki’s throat and crushed it as he continued to beat the man’s face with his other fist.
Finally the warriors around him managed to lift him off the demon, holding him back. Insignious stood between them and glared at his deputy, “Walk it off!” He shouted, “Go! Walk it off, now!” Etoah glared at his leader through the blood spattered in his eyes. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. Throwing
the warriors off of him he spun around and screamed at the ground. “FUCKING SHIT!” He wrenched the strapped sword off of his back, threw it against the nearest wall and furiously stormed out of the village.
Insignious watched his deputy go with a dark sadness before turning to see his warriors taking Akihito out of the bloody dirt and away to the prison. He could hear music and the breeze carried the smell of food, though he found no comfort in it. Nevertheless, he put on a smile and made his way towards the lights and voices, glad that most people hadn’t heard the outburst.
Smiles bearing joy arrived slowly to the clansmen, stricken with news the meeting had brought them. The suggestion to celebrate felt as though it needed to be dragged out of them, yet not necessarily forced. Plenty recalled how similar the two clans celebrated, and to Sera, not much was different when the clans merged for entertainment and enjoyment.
Tables stood firmly but barren, food and drink prepared elsewhere. Sera kindly decorated them with bowls, plates, and cups as she ran to and from a stockroom to assist the clan. The storage room wasn't too far from the space for festivities, but it was distant enough to muffle the volume. Bleu followed close behind her; the two inseparable the moment they arrived.
They remained together, gathering the last of the tableware. Hurriedly scuttling out and back to the party, Sera halted as she heard a howl, cracking the air from that of playful chatter. Head whipped around towards the cause as she witnessed two warriors rush by from her view in the alley.
Closing the space between Bleu and herself, she stood alert as the cries overtook the chattering. She flinched when she heard a loud 'thump', yet the wails continued.
Seafoam blue irises gazed over at her sibling, nervous, but brave. The last of her vulnerability had shed itself when they rejoined their uncle. And if she weren't carrying anything, she'd have grabbed Bleu's hand and immediately bolted to him.
"Okay. Let's go."
The distraction faded as the shouts reduced-- threat disappearing in tow. Young warrior resumed her errand, however kept a wary eye on the direction of the commotion.
Later, she thought, she would ask her Uncle what had been amiss.
