Silavnus's lines are highlighted in blue. Nyra's in red. Alyssa's in dark blue. Aulav's in purple.
} - silly emphasis / - emphasis
Nyra did not want to go into the office, nor did she want to be around other people, but Silvanus said so otherwise.
“It’ll only be for a bit, and anyway. It’s for you to get used to working here.” He said dragging her by the arm.
They were gonna go to the White Reaper’s battalion base. Unfortunately, Nyra was going to have to stay there in an office around people who are going to be showering her with compliments and…
Silvanus opened the doors, and the rest of the team peeked their heads and out the offices and turned, seeing their leader who had behind him a nervous and stressed Nyra.
…The group had an mixed parties: some were confused, two were curious; a girl with blue hair looking at her excitedly… Was that the girl you met at the gala!?, a man with purple hair and a hat with feathers giving her a intrigued look (you thought he looked suspicious but interesting), and the majority being annoyed and, looking as they were about to murder someone with glares they were giving her. Which they probably wouldn’t mind doing to her.
Silvanus waved at them gesturing to the even more stressed Nyra that looked like she was praying for the ground to swallow her up. “Hello everyone. This here is going to be someone working with us, she’s shy so please /don’t/ pressure or make her feel unconfutable. Let’s treat her with the utmost respect and let her settle in!” He smiled while looking down at her.
How in the hell was their commander being so calm about this!? There was just a /demon/ right next to him and he was acting as if this was a meet and greet (Which this kind of was).
“Let’s introduce you to the group! First here with me is Nyra. Now I know what your all thinking ‘{Oh BuT tHaT’s A dEmOn}’ yes. Yes, she is. But we’ve made an exception for her and she’s gone through the tests to be a living citizen.”
That didn’t make the glares and the tension in the room go down, in fact it made it go a bit up, Nyra could tell by the sound being intense. While it was also unfamiliar being somewhere she’s never been it didn’t make her anymore better with the introductions.
“Right I’ll start from the left. This here is Celosia, she’s quick and fierce and she works with going on missions. Here is Noor, she handles information gathering. And sitting over is Alyssa, she helps back here with ordering files and plans. She also goes out on the field most times too.
And this purple fella in the back is Aulav! He works on all kinds of stuff. Mostly behind the scenes.”
After introducing some more people and showing some of the rooms, he pulled Nyra over.
“I’m going to be gone for a bit before I show you around the room for files - a mini library you might say – and my office. That’s were you’ll mostly work.”
Nyra looked over the side of him seeing she got some looks from Celosia and Noor from hearing that. Great.
“So I’m just gonna pop you somewhere- ah! Here, you can sit with Alyssa. I’m sure she’ll make you feel welcomed.” He got a reply from Alyssa who did a mini salute, “I will sir! Don’t you worry!”
He looked back at Nyra, who was barely aware of what was going on.
Except for two things; One. She’d be in a room with people - most who seemed ready to rip her head off -, and that Silvanus was leaving her alone.
She knew being close to him in public was fine, such as when they are at galas or outside, but these people /knew/ him. They’d (and herself – own embarrassment) be weird about her being close to him.
So she just tugged his sleeve, a subtle movement as not for others to notice, as much as she wanted to just grab his arm and hide behind there was barely any walls right behind or in front of her.
“?” Silvanus looked at her confused but sympathetic. Nyra spoke, whispered that is, only he could hear.
“Can you come b-back quickly?...” He bent down a bit to be at her level “I’ll try and be quick as possible, but if you feel overwhelmed you can wait outside the room, okay?” he whispered back while patting her head slightly.
Silvanus then strode out. Nyra sank into the seat she was in and stared at the floor.
“H-hey, if you want… I could uh, show you some stuff I’m working on? Or-or, you could just sit there if you want.” Alyssa, sitting next to her asked sheepishly.
Nyra looked up nervously and nodded.
Alyssa then went to her desk and opened a draw. She grabbed some paper and put in on the table in front of her, pointing at what looks like a map.
“This is a map of Venesset. You see here? This is where we are. Although this map is just for Venesset, you can see the outlay around us, such as the Court of Venesset. We use these maps as a way to plan and locate, and pinpoint where we’re going to find something or go after a target.”
Nyra leaned over, looking over the shapes and words on the map. She found the forest she grew up in. That side of the map was a bit faded, but the words were clear enough to make out.
She tapped the forest on the map. Then tapped at the lines leading to it.
Alyssa looked over she was pointing at. Thinking and then gave an answer, “There? Not long? Sure it’s a bit of walk for like 1-2 days, but it depends where you are. If your asking from here I’d say an hour or so?” Alyssa said a bit awkwardly, obviously she’s probably never been, since her answer wavered.
But enough to give a rough estimate.
A couple of seconds later she heard some whispering across from her.
Two girls were talking to each other snickering and casting glances over to where she sat.
A girl with yellow hair, Celosia, Nyra remembered. Came over and had her hands on her hips, looking disapprovingly at her. Then closed her arms across her chest with one hand out, she had a lollipop in her hand. Waving in a circle she asked Alyssa, “Why are you /talking/ to the Demon? You know it’s probably pretending to be shy, right?”
Alyssa looked at her annoyed and gave a huff “Because it’s polite, and /she/ is most likely nervous being in a place with people she doesn’t know. Ever thought of that?”
Celosia rolled her eyes and then looked back at Nyra. “Can you even talk? Silvanus probably got forced to bring you here or something. Anyway, I’m surprised anyone took interest in taking you in. Got lost on the streets? /Demon/.” She sneered. Looking at her disgustingly.
“Celosia!” Alyssa gasped, looking displeased.
Nyra just looked at her, anger and annoyance boiling in her. Ugh, she could really do with just finding somewhere to eat instead of dealing with this.
But Celosia kept on pestering her with the girl in the back snickering in the back looking on.
It got to the point when Nyra snapped at what she said last, “Bootlicker. I seen you on tv at the galas. I heard you lost one of your eyes because of an experiment, you probably deserved it.”
That was a cover-up story of one of her eyes when someone asked at a gala. Though there are rumours something else happened, most of her being a monster and attacking an Angel, and so-and-so.
But it was enough for her to hear about her eye to make her snap.
Nyra stood up and leaped at Celosia. She started grabbing her hair and hitting her.
Celosia fought back laughing while mad, yanking her hair in turn and then pushing her.
There were other people cheering in the back, all rooting for Celosia, or some just saying “fight!” while watching. Alyssa stood up next to the crowd where the girl, Noor, that was with Celosia was and started cheering Nyra on while asking her if she should get someone.
Nyra then had enough and grabbed the back of her head, then started bashing it against a filing cabinet while Celosia tried to fight back. With Nyra having one hand on her shoulder and the other on her head she was stuck in place, flapping about her arms while blood spluttered from her head. Trickling down onto the floor.
As it was about to escalate even more, Celosia then knocked her back and moved a bit away, both were panting from the fight. Nyra was looking down as she was huffing. The fight taken out of her.
When suddenly Celosia rose up and punched her, scratching her left eye. Making Nyra’s head go up, she winched from the pain about to turn the fight into a bloodbath when suddenly she felt something on her collar. Someone was dragging her away and as she looked up she saw Aulav.
He just tipped his hat a bit down while smiling across the room while dragging her with his other hand the floor. She started failing around with her arms and kicked out speaking too incoherent.
------------------
Aulav had dragged her into a room that looked like a guest room from one of the galas she attended.
“It seems the first round has started.” He said as he dropped her.
“What?” She said in confusion. Getting up off the ground. “the manifestation of the living incarnate of evil marks the beginning of the game. It seems the devil does not agree if you refuse to play.”
He pulled her towards him. Making her freeze up for a moment before tensing. He cupped her face with one of his hands while the other stroked the side of her face that had gotten a cut below and above her eye, luckily missing it to not make her go blind.
“There is a way to extend the game to several rounds. If you’re lucky that is.
The first way is to avoid the branches holes. One must keep on finding paths to deliver and escape. The devil skips a round this way, but it is automatic afterwards that a new round starts.
The second is to hide. But they must pay a price by cutting the heart’s love. Making it hollow and cold. This game is to be silence. Remove your voice of sound. And you will not be killed.”
He healed the cut and then sat down tapping the next to him of the couch. It was more of an order so she sit.
Aulav spawned two tea cups and jug. “Tea or coffee?” He asked, pouring some coffee into his cup.
He offered the other cup to her. She took it and held the cup. She doesn’t like coffee, and tea was bitter. So she raised her hand in declining both.