Echoes of the Requiem

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"Ha. The only thing a god would need from a human is something the human got from another god but I don't have anything that like that," Rin replied, completely of the opinion that this whole situation was fifteen levels of ridiculous. The thought that a god wanted something from him was odd. Gods delegating work wasn't unheard of but that seemed rather unlikely given that he was talent-less and skill-less. Plus, he knew that he hadn't gotten anything special unless sensing one's impending doom was some sort of a talent and even that was probably some sort of hallucination from accidentally taking a dip in the fountain.

"He wouldn't need to steal it. Merely asking would suffice. An explanation would be plenty and even making up something to get him to voluntarily give it as an offering would be much more convincing than having the head priest blow a hole in the floor. Or he just would have been caught by the soldiers if I hadn't been sent to retrieve him," Kaze reasoned, getting more and more flustered by the moment with the idea that she was having to defend her entire livelihood and sense of purpose to someone she hardly knew and trusted less.
 
Dante stopped her circle when she faced Rin again, amused by Kaze's frustrations. "You're cute, Miss Miko. So I suppose I'll stop questioning you for the time being. All of your arguments are valid, and perhaps I am looking for trouble in the wrong places, but it doesn't change the fact that the gods soldiers are chasing you two along with the head priest of your KamiKaze and your god has yet to do a thing about any of it." She raised a brow, then got dangerously close to Rin's face, her violet eye searching his features before settling on his eyes. "..Is this where you're hiding?" She questioned, trailing a finger under Rin's right eye. "..but what are you?"
 
Kaze huffed as they reached a deadlock of sorts, content with the conclusion that none of this made any sense at all yet but that didn't really change what she was doing and what she had to do, keep this kid safe till she could deliver him. Ironically, he seemed to be handling this a lot better than her, complete with his cynicism and self admittance of his lack of ability. She turned her attention back to Dante and her little examination of Rin who seemed to be equally baffled by her appraisal. At least she wasn't sure what Dante was seeing and if Rin knew, he wasn't showing any signs of it.

"What's hiding?" Rin asked, "I'm not following."
 
Ila had the same question written on her face, but Dante didn't answer any of them. Instead Dante reached a hand up to lift Rin's chin with her index finger, staring intently into his eye, trying to get a good look at it, but the more she tried to focus on it, the further and less clear whatever it was seemed to become. "You're guarded.. " she said finally, stepping back from Rin with a bit of frustration. "..Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to want to be found out so easily..."

Perhaps.. it needs to be forced out? Something like a self preservation instinct could be keeping it hidden...

Dante snapped her fingers, and shadows quickly swam up from between the floorboards to bind Rin's legs, solidifying into a sort of creeping plant that grew thick roots to keep him in place. "...Seems I'll have to remove it myself then. You don't need that eye, correct? You've got two."
 
Rin backpedaled away from the shadows, oddly quickly given that they had come faster than he should have even seen them coming but didn't give it much thought. He was well aware that Dante was trying to bring out something by him trying to stay alive but that didn't mean he was going to stay still whether she meant it or not. Sure, she probably wasn't really out to rip his eye out but only an idiot was going to take chances.

"I think I like having two eyes and depth perception, thank you very much."

Of course, this didn't make him anything more than his normal self and sure enough, he tripped over the shadows behind him, landing in a heap on the floor. That couldn't be good at all. Now would be a wonderful time for some laser eyes or something to give Dante what she wanted... maybe. On second thought, Dante was still probably looking out for quick cash too so maybe a clear answer wasn't so good either but that thought was put to rest too as no such magical powers presented themselves.
 
When he moved, Dante almost got excited, thinking perhaps whatever was hiding in him had given him super reflexes, maybe some feat of speed enhancement or some such thing, but then Rin fell over backwards in an ungraceful manner and Dante could only let out a sigh. "You're no fun....Hm.. I thought that'd work.."

"you're not really gonna kill him are you!?" Ila growled.

"Of course not.. I said I was going to remove his eye.. Not kill him." Dante said with a casual roll of her eyes, then returned her full attention to Rin. "The danger isn't real enough... And I'm afraid luring your pursuers to our home is simply out of the question." She said with a second sigh before glancing to Kaze. "We'll do it your way. You've no reason to trust us.. but I've no reason to trust your god either. We won't be a match for KamiKaze, but at least with all of us there there's a chance we can get Rin out of there should you be wrong about your beloved god's intentions.. We won't be able to stay here, so I suggest hiding right under the priests nose. We'll go topside immediately."
 
"So you can sense something magicy and mystic about a perfectly normal eye that I've had since I was born that all of a sudden everyone seems to want," Rin rolled his eyes, dripping sarcasm, not all of it undue. Really, this was all one sick joke as far as he was concerned and he was half worried that Dante might rip his eye out of his socket and sell it. If things got hairy up there, it didn't seem all that unlikely, really. Who would risk running from a god when they could make quick cash and not have to worry about being caught. It wasn't like any of them owed him anything. Even Kaze who was supposed to keep him safe might not if the god turned out to be part of the club that wanted to kill him and or rip his eye out or whatever else of value he might have.

"Um... Just how do we get back topside? We fell down who knows how far to get down here?" he asked, not sure about this whole thing but he wasn't exactly in any position to do much unless he wanted to try to walk out and find out right away just how many of them were really on his side. Kaze watched all three of them, trying to figure out what to do. They had no idea when Kamikaze was going to be back and if the priest was looking for them, who knew how many other parties there were out there trying to do the same. But at the same time, they didn't have an abundance of options and staying down here seemed just as dangerous given that a mere wanted poster would make it nearly impossible to hide.
 
Dante gave Rin a slight smirk at his sarcasm. "Such a brave child.. I could take the eye if you'd prefer to find out what's so magical.." She joked, then scratched her chin. "We'll need to change into something less recognizable, then use the old abandoned waterways to get us through the underground. There's all sorts of access tunnels leading to the ground level, but I'm afraid they can get you lost, and unless you have magic or ridiculous physical endurance it can be rather hard on the legs. Once we reach the upper level however we shouldn't have much trouble finding a tavern or something to hide out in."
 
"I'll pass on losing my eye," Rin said, half wondering just what he was going to do if that really was what everyone wanted. It wasn't like he could just fork it over. Still, everything past the notion of ripping parts of his body off made enough sense. He couldn't imagine hiding out in a tavern in Altimeria but there were worse things to be had and he didn't have any better ideas, not that he ever expected to have any. It was unlikely that his pursuers were going to get bored and move onto new targets but it was true that they probably wouldn't be looking for him in the city, instead expecting him to be scrabbling down here, providing that no one else saw him leave for topside.
 
Ila raised a hand. "Ok.. but what kind of disguises do you think we can come up with? It's not like we can just throw on a few cloaks and expect to ---- " she then paused at the look on Dante's face that said that was EXACTLY what they were going to be doing. "Oh you have to be kidding me..."

"Not in the slightest, my dear sister." Dante said as she pointed to the three of them, her shadows swept up around each of them respectfully and over their shoulders hung dingy looking muddy brown cloaks as to be expected of any wandering peddler happening through the underground, on top of old rags. Sure, the rags were an illusion, but it was a strong enough illusion that it tricked the mind to even smell the grime and muck around the base of the cloak and pant legs as if they'd been trudging through filth all day. Dante of course didn't wear the same disguise. Her cloak was a deep black with red accents, and in one of her hands? collars.

Ila frowned. "..We're not.."

"You are, Ilarianna. You will be under the guise of my slaves." Dante grinned, holding out the collars.
 
Kaze glared at Dante. It wasn't a bad idea but she was more than a little adverse to wearing a collar and being dragged around. Yes, she knew that walking around as is would be dumb but that didn't mean she liked it. She opened her mouth to protest but before she could get anything out, Rin casually walked over and slipped one of the collars on, not seeming to care much at all about self dignity. That or he just had an extremely sobering grip on reality.

"You could at least pretend to be bothered by the idea of wearing a collar like a dog," she said.

"Its just a disguise and it makes the most sense."
 
Dante gave a nod to Rin, the boy was realistic. A good head to have in this world of theirs, especially given the circumstances. Though Kaze's reluctance to 'collar up' somewhat amused her. "Come now, I've met plenty of girls who actually grow to enjoy it. Come on and let you're loving mistress take care of you." She teased, not entirely without a sense of humor.

"You know being creepy right now probably isn't going to help your case, Dante.." Ila said on her way down the steps.

Dante crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow. "She's just too up tight... The girl will need to learn how to relax sometime..."
 
Kaze grabbed the collar and turned away with a huff, not nearly as willing as Rin was. She understood that he was probably right but still... Reluctantly, she slipped the collar on and fastened it to her neck, sure that Dante was enjoying every moment of this. She didn't want to relax or learn to enjoy something this humiliating. It was like consigning herself to be someone's personal plaything like any other slave who gave in and obeyed the sick minds that bought them.

"So where do we go now?" Rin asked, walking over to Dante. Kaze inwardly winced at how he'd just done that without batting an eyelash or even seeming bothered by this. No self dignity, no self respect. Was there even a heart in that chest of his?
 
Dante gave a grin as she watched the Miko put her collar on, it looked good on her after all.. and the way she fought every step of the way made Dante only want to keep her around more. Weak girls were boring.. a strong will meant a strong heart. and a Strong heart can't be unfaithful. She respected this.. but didn't speak on it to make things uneasy and possibly make Kaze abandon the whole ordeal. Instead she turned her attention to Rin as Ila was fastening her own collar and paying attention.

"We'll use my shadows to get clear of the building but sadly there's a magic barrier to keep people like me from transporting straight to the surface from down here so the furthest i get us is to the entrance of the waterway. From there we'll just navigate the maintenance walks till we find our exit. There's giant rats and things down there though, so we'll need to be on our guard." She explained calmly, then examined Rin before pulling a black dagger out from under her robes and holding it out to him. "Just in case."
 
Rin looked down at the dagger and up at Dante. This all made no sense but he didn't argue over it. He guessed having a dagger wouldn't hurt.

"You know that a weapon probably won't make a difference, right?" he reminded them all that even with his life on the line, he was clueless in how to use a weapon or how to fight in general. Still, he had to calm himself with a reminder to go with the flow. Making a big fuss wasn't going to help. So without saying any more, he hooked the dagger onto his pants and hoped he didn't poke himself with it by accident. He didn't have a convenient holster but it fit well enough for now and the cloak kept it hidden. He glanced over at Kaze who was visibly turning red and obviously both angry and embarrassed then at Dante who had been eyeing her too with an expression that ranged everywhere from "Success!" to "Cuuuuute!". He couldn't say she was wrong either. Now they had to deal with getting out of here which he had a feeling was going to be trickier than getting in.

Kaze fumbled with the collar like it wasn't ever going to come off after she put it on, seeming to constantly second guess her decision to put it on it a battle between her sense of self survival and duty and her dignity. Ultimately, self survival and duty won out as she knew they would. She'd just been putting up a fight for her own satisfaction. After a while, she finally got it on for more than two seconds and left it where it was with a sigh.
 
Ila couldn't help but frown at Rin's negativity, but there was no reassurance she could give him.. he WAS pathetic in a fight.. but maybe she'd train him while they were hiding? Why? She still wasn't sure, maybe it was because she felt bad for him? Possible..

"So resilient.." The look on Kaze's face was priceless, but Dante had no time to swoon over her new interest and she instead took the time to focus on their Exit point while everyone was getting situated and when they had settled she gave a brief nod before their shadows darkened then stretched up and around them. "Take a deep breath."

It had been a while, but Ila remembered why she hated traveling the way Dante did. As her shadow rose, she flinched and it was one of the rare times she was afraid. Watching her shadow move up and around her like swarm of invasive hands didn't bother her as much as it should, this was her sister so she felt no danger there; but it was as she was yanked backwards and down through the floor that she felt the urge to scream. The "World Between" as Dante named it was a land the mirrored the real world, only it was all eclipsed in darkness as you passed through, people were like mere faceless shadows as you were drawn pass them at an alarming speed. Buildings seemed to bend in around you and any glimmer of light flit in and out of your peripheral vision and blinked out when you tried to focus on it.

Then there was the thick air they passed through, it was more like being submerged in frigid water that forced your lungs to try and contract, making it hard to breathe and that's what made Ila want it to end. Memories better left untouched, but as she was about to try to call it quits (not that she COULD) it was over and she'd been pushed to her feet through a wall of solid concrete. She fell to her knees in an alley beside a dirty faced child who immediately fled clutching what scrap of food she'd managed to steal for a meal. ila fought to catch her breath, and and wiped the sweat from her brow.

They had gained a great deal of distance, but the entrance to the Waterway was still a little ways off. She checked herself to make sure she was in one piece, then stood to her feet and waited for the others.
 
Rin managed to take a deep breath. Kaze did not. Despite being a kid with little to no capability, the very negativity and pessimism born from it was the same stuff that gave him the ability to act on cold sensibility. He didn't even need to think before obeying in this case since he was basically entrusting his survival to Dante in the first place, not because he was sure he could trust her but because he didn't have a better option at hand. Hence why he made his way through the world between without too much of a hitch at all, zoning himself out of the world around him till they were dropped back into the alleys. Kaze wasn't so lucky, still flustered from having to put the collar on which left her almost drowned by the end of the trip. Still, she staggered to her feet quickly all the same, breathing deeply to try to get the murky air of the world between out of her lungs so it could be replaced by the dank air here. She still didn't get how Rin was still so composed over this. Sad to say it but from the way they acted, she and Ila were more like the slaves, looking off balance and desperate compared to him. He could have passed as a resident of this place, not looking the least bit visibly bothered by where he was.
 
Ila watched the other 2 emerge, Kaze more or less exactly like herself, a bit worse for wear by the World Between and taking deep breaths to clear her lungs as best she could. Then Rin had come through more or less unphased, and Ila couldn't help but to glare. There was something unsettling by how calm he was in all of this.. and even with Dante slapping a collar on him and calling him a slave he was too complacent.. just how horrible was this boys life that there was just no reason to fight?

Dante took a bit longer but was the last to step through the wall as as she did the shadows receded into the wall behind them leaving them with no more connection to the house, but there was a frown on her face that said they clearly weren't able to go back that force Ila to narrow her eyes. Dante shook her head and pulled up her hood saying nothing more than "What's done is done." before checking the group over and starting to the mouth of the alleyway to make sure the coast was clear.

"Right then. Everyone in one piece?" Ila asked, patting Kaze on the back with a raised eyebrow.
 
"I'm here," Kaze groaned, coughing. The trip had been grueling but she supposed she just had to put up with it. She glanced back at Ila who seemed to be eyeing Rin with a look of wonder just as much as she was. At the same time, just having something that made him really composed was hardly special enough to make everyone want his head. There had to be more than that, something that would make a god interested and the high priest overcome with greed. Her thoughts were interrupted by a light yank on her collar. It was Rin. For being a bullied kid, he sure had some nerve.

"Come on. Let's go unless you want to stay here," he said, hurrying after Dante. Frankly, he had no idea what they were doing or where they were going but it wasn't going to be pretty. Even after they returned, he'd have to keep hidden to make sure no one saw him. They might not be after him but there were tons of people who saw him being chased by the soldiers. Kaze too.
 
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