Lunch Date (Private: Hebe)

[Cadian Armana Virria]

Cadian didn’t even look up at the waiter who brought him what he thought was his third glass of lemon-lime soda. He couldn’t be sure of the number; he’d been here for a while and might have lost count at some point. He had finished at the orphanage a few hours ago and with nothing else to do he had wandered to the first café he found that wasn’t swarming with Britannians. He’d had his fill of Britannian talk from the constant reports of the royal family. What was interesting him though (a rather hard thing to do lately) was the whispers of the Order of the Black Knights. It was a tempting rumor to look into, but Cadian wasn’t going to yet. They could just be simple rumors, hopeful wishes of an oppressed race. He’d wait to see some substantial proof before he went to offer his assistance. He almost hoped it would be soon. At least then he’d have something else to do. Sure he had his work at the orphanage, but it would only interest him for so long, eventually he’d move on from even that.

Glancing away from the passing civilians, the platinum haired man held up his glass to a passing waiter in a request for a fourth glass of what he assumed was a cold drink. It was supposed to be warm today.

[Hebe Ano Vasilikis]

Come war, come famine, come pestilence. Come rain, come shine, come hail. No matter what, a bustling city like Tokyo would always be active; people working and shopping, running to and fro. It was one thing Hebe loved about cities; they were always moving. Like ants. Scurry, scurry, must run, must hurry, run 'til eyes run red and blurry. Scurry, flurry, worry.

Hebe smiled and skipped down the street, lollipop in one hand and her sunhat in the other. There was little to do in the Super-Secret-Underground-Cavern, so she'd decided to take a break from destroying the lives of others and have a holiday. The pretty little sundress and sandles made her look even less threatening than normal; like a 9th grader. How disillusioning.

She was heading past a cafe when a platinum head caught her eye. She stopped. She looked. 'Well damn me to heaven and kneel me to God.' The boy was sitting in the outdoor area of the cafe, back to the sidewalk. Even without seeing his face she would know him.

Hebe slid up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, lightly kissing his cheek. "Guess who~"

[Cadian Armana Virria]

Working with children several hours a day, most days a week has a tendency to make those who work with them impervious to fright, surprise, or shock. So considering the amount of time that Cadian spent at the orphanage, and had at past orphanages, he had considered himself well defended again someone sneaking up behind him. Maybe it was different to be defended from children and adults, but the one who had surprised him was most certainly closer to the former despite how she sometimes acted.

In his defense, however, it wasn’t so much the suddenness of the arms around his neck that had startled him. Rather it was the kiss that had shocked him. Cadian was far from used to any kind of intimate contact, even from the children he cared for. The unfamiliarity of the action wasn’t an accident; Cadian certainly liked keeping people at a distance, but he had met someone once who acted quite the opposite, and she was the only one who could ever greet him in such a manner. “Milani?” Cadian turned his head to look at her, honestly surprised. He hadn’t thought they’d cross paths again. “What are you doing here?” He asked, surprise getting the better of him for a moment before he offered her a slight smile. “It’s been a while.”

[Hebe Ano Vasilikis]

Her dearest, darling Cadian started before turning to look at her. “Milani? What are you doing here?” He offered her a slight smile. “It’s been a while.” Hebe smiled at him and gave him an eskimo kiss. 'Milani', it's been years upon years since she last used that name. Dear, darling Cadian.

"I wander to and fro, love. My feet have taken flight and have found me at yours." The fence railing was digging into her abdoman, so she let go of him. Hopping over the gate, Hebe sat across from him, snapping her fingers at a waiter for an iced tea.

"How have travels treated you, brother?"

[Cadian Armana Virria]

‘Demanding as ever.’ Cadian thought fondly. It was refreshing to know that Milani hadn’t changed since they’d last met. Did that mean that Cadian hadn’t either? He couldn’t think of anything major that was different, so maybe the same was true of him. Without a glance at the waiter, Cadian took his own drink as the man brought Milani hers. Cadian gave a slight shrug of his shoulders in response to Milani’s question. “As well as can be expected, I suppose. Children still grow up too fast, and the world is strained with war…or at least brewing war. Not that much has changed.” Ever the pessimist, Cadian’s tone was tinged with cynicism, but he only shrugged again and sipped his drink.

Milani might be the closest thing he had to a friend. He trusted her to an extent, but the girl was a little too psychotic for him to completely trust her. Still…they had something in common, and that was very…comforting to Cadian. It was as close to what he wanted as Cadian thought he would ever get.

[Hebe Ano Vasilikis]

“As well as can be expected, I suppose. Children still grow up too fast, and the world is strained with war…or at least brewing war. Not that much has changed.” Ever the pessimist. Hebe smiled fondly at him and drank her tea. The man was as cynical as ever, unchanged except a bit harder. She could always count on a sibling to be a constant for her.

The world would bend, empires fall, men die, oceans tide coasts shift. Hebe's world was dark and polluted and tainted with the blood of sport. But if there ever was a thing in her that could be close to a moral, it was this; never cheat kin. Hebe could count the number of people on the planet that she would never slight on one hand with fingers to spare and Cadian was one of them.

"I would have thought that you'd have stayed to the Euopean soil. Less toiling tots to take in with beddraggled, blood-stained sweaters then in the Asian air." She cocked her head knowlingly. "More blood's to come once the Knights of Dark Color regroup behind He with no face."

[Cadian Armana Virria]

“I would have thought that you'd have stayed to the Euopean soil. Less toiling tots to take in with beddraggled, blood-stained sweaters then in the Asian air.” True enough, Cadian would have rotated around the European continent and probably should have considering what this place had brought him when last he’d visited. I would be easy enough to wander through different countries and kill enough time before revisiting those he’d already been to. “I could have, but caring for only European children seems like the same kind of discrimination that Britannia’s been exhibiting lately.” Cadian shrugged slightly. It was a strained comparison, he knew. But it was what it felt like to him. “And I had thought that I could distance myself from the royal brats here. Clearly that was a mistaken assumption.” Cadian’s cynicism was tinged with a bit more anger than indifference, but he left it at that and changed the topic.

“More blood's to come once the Knights of Dark Color regroup behind He with no face.”

“You’ve heard those rumors too.” Cadian observed as he let a slight smirk curve his lips. “Any talk of who that leader might be? Or do they not have one yet? I was under the impression they were still looking for the one to rally behind, but I haven’t heard such talk in a while. Perhaps they’ve found Him now.”

[Hebe Ano Vasilikis]

“I could have, but caring for only European children seems like the same kind of discrimination that Britannia’s been exhibiting lately. And I had thought that I could distance myself from the royal brats here. Clearly that was a mistaken assumption.” Hebe giggled, almost choking on her tea. It was rather sweet, so she pulled a small flask from her garter belt and poured a generous amount of Russian vodka. Bishop was very strick with his liquor around her, so she always made a point of stealing some whenever they met. There was a stockpile the size of a small cow in the (dun-dun music) lair.

“You’ve heard those rumors too. Any talk of who that leader might be? Or do they not have one yet? I was under the impression they were still looking for the one to rally behind, but I haven’t heard such talk in a while. Perhaps they’ve found Him now.”

Hebe offered him the est of the flask. "For one, love, I wouldn't be worrying too much about the royal spawn. At least not the females." She raised an eyebrow. "One is going to go missing within the week due to very disheartening circumstances that will tragically wound the moral of the people. Whether she subsequently reappears, I haven't decided yet. Another will most likely fall victim to either a failed search for a lost love or sticking her nose in anothers business."

Hebe finished her spiced tea and waved for another. "For a second thing, He with no face has indeed been spotted. And disappeared quite as suddenly, I'm afraid. The Dark Brigade is quite upset with him, so I hear. A birdie in Narita sang of the theft of a dress meant for punishment."

[Cadian Armana Virria]

There was a saying. Good things come to those who wait. Cadian was never one for sayings because they were so often false, and this was one of that same group he tended to ignore. Just because he ignored them however, didn’t mean he didn’t know them, and it seemed to apply rather well here. Good news comes to he who waits. “For one, love, I wouldn’t be worrying too much about the royal spawn.” The smirk on Cadian’s lips grew. “At least not the females.” Maybe it had been too good to be true after all. Cadian sighed and let his finger trace the rim of his glass as Milani described the events she foresaw coming to the Britannian princesses. It was only encouraging news if it would hurt Him, and Cadian doubted much would affect him at this point.

Cadian hadn’t heard that Zero had in fact been spotted, but it wasn’t interesting news if he had proceeded to disappear again. The Black Knights were doomed to failure if they had a coward as their leader. “The Dark Brigade is quite upset with him, so I hear. A birdie in Narita sang of the theft of a dress meant for punishment.” Cadian had learned very quickly to not bother trying to decipher Milani’s riddles, but the gist of the message was clear enough.

“They’d be better off appointing, or electing, or fighting for the position amongst themselves if that’s the case.” Cadian sighed, his tone a mix of disappointment and boredom. So much for his hope of entertainment. Cadian wasn’t going to assist an organization without a strong, reliable leader. “And it’s hardly the females I’m worried about. They’re harmless to me.”

[Hebe Ano Vasilikis]

Hebe noted Cadian's smirk and sigh. “They’d be better off appointing, or electing, or fighting for the position amongst themselves if that’s the case. And it’s hardly the females I’m worried about. They’re harmless to me.” She nodded thoughtfully.

"True. Lady luck is a winsome bitch, with favor thrown about. But you see, a lady true is not a lady fair. Which lady? And whose favor has she lost? It's what makes the pawns quiver, whether the queen really has the best interest of the king in mind. And, of course, if the king is really fond of his Lady." Hebe leaned forward, tracing her finger 'round the rim of the glass.

"The king is my Bishop, you see. The queen is disobeying. The board is in peril and squares are covered in the wreckage of lost pieces." She blinked, cocking her head. "Or will, anyway. Either-or, it will be a great and terrible game for the spectators."

[Cadian Armana Virria]

Despite his slightly soured mood, Milani made a smile return to Cadian’s lips again. She had always been interesting, different from the others, and perhaps that came with the territory. Cadian was young still. He could potentially be like her after a while, which was an interesting thought. Maybe he’d eventually share her metaphorical way of speaking. Maybe. But for now he had to translate her riddles into something he could understand. It wasn’t always easy, but it was entertaining, and it made him smile even if he didn’t always manage to fully translate. Like now.

Cadian had followed her reasoning, although he was curious how the King was her bishop. It could be extremely amusing, and would serve Him right, presuming of course they both had the same King in mind. What had lost him was the talk of the queen. Cadian knew the King was engaged, but there was no official queen yet, and Cadian didn’t know who played that piece in her absence. Of course it was unlikely that she would be a suitable queen on the board even after the arrangement was fulfilled…if it was fulfilled. Who was she then? Cadian wasn’t sure. “The queen is disobeying? How so? I thought that family all had the same goals.” Cadian knew that wasn’t entirely true, but what he did know he would rather keep to himself.

[Hebe Ano Vasilikis]

“The queen is disobeying? How so? I thought that family all had the same goals.” Hebe shook a finger at him, making a tsk-tsk noise.

"Nay nay, my dearest love. Nothing but a name unites a family of ill-wishers and well-wishers. My Bishop has plans for his flock, ones he keeps close to his heart. None but the foul Rook know but a whisper. The queen watches her king and is unsure. Her Knight went missing, and hell hath no fury like a woman deprived."

She grinned at that. All hell is, is but a smoldering plain covered in ash. Quite lovely if one adds a palm tree and a rose bush or two. "My Bishop stole her Knight and gave him to his Rook. The Knight is no longer, but stronger. The Queen wants him and all paths lead to things the king wishes she would not find. If she does not take care, like Marie, the guillitine will find her head."

Hebe sat back in her chair and cocked her head. "Would you wish Marie's salvation? Or her damnation, I wonder?"

[Cadian Armana Virria]

From what Cadian had heard of the goings on inside the capital, he had no doubt as to who Milani’s queen was now. She had been one of his guesses, but he didn’t know there was conflict within the family itself. Not to say that it surprised him, however. He knew the King kept secrets, and he knew who he kept them with. That was precisely the reason that he had come to Japan this time. He hadn’t thought that Britannia would take a direct interest in the country again, and now that it had, Cadian didn’t have it in his heart to abandon the children at the orphanage. He hadn’t been her long enough for them yet. For now, he would deal with the King and his family and try not to be found on anyone’s terms but his own. Yes, he knew the King’s secrets, and His confidant, but what worried him was that Milani seemed to as well: the foul Rook.

Blue eyes rose slowly to meet green, not daring to question her about it, and Cadian just listened for now. "My Bishop stole her Knight and gave him to his Rook. The Knight is no longer, but stronger. The Queen wants him and all paths lead to things the king wishes she would not find. If she does not take care, like Marie, the guillotine will find her head." Milani sat back. "Would you wish Marie's salvation? Or her damnation, I wonder?"

“Me?” Cadian had thought the answer would be easy any relation to the King was deserving of the same sentence, but if Milani’s queen, Marie, was in opposition to the King, Cadian could use her, help her find what the King wanted to keep hidden. ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ That was perhaps the only saying Cadian actually believed. “Perhaps for now, salvation.” It surprised Cadian himself a bit to say, but the potential use of Marie outweighed her blood relation to the family he hated. Cadian was quiet for a moment before leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. He needed to know. “Milani, who is your Rook?”

[Hebe Ano Vasilikis]

"Me?" Cadian looked pensive for a moment. “Perhaps for now, salvation.” Hebe smiled into her glass. Grudges and loyaties are fickle and twisted as twine. He was quiet for a moment before leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. “Milani, who is your Rook?”

She could sing or she could swallow. She did neither and crowed. "Why shalt I tell you? A bird of many feathers covers himself in many shrouds. Depicting my Rook as but a name or a word would do an unjustice."

What would he do? Cadian was a watcher; he was not an active person in things that were large and unseemly. To tell would give him useless knowledge. She cocked her head. Or would it give him motive to strike? Their kin all had one shared trait, besides the obvious: knowledge. It whispered to her the world's secrets and one divinely hidden was Anderson's fondness of her brethren.

"He is fond of my body. If I were not my clever self, he would take it and ravish it with all the devotion his scalples and test tubes could give." She rolled the small straw with her tongue. "If he were not interesting, I would kiss him hard and slit hin from nose to navel."

[Cadian Armana Virria]

As much as Cadian cared for Milani, and as interesting as her riddles were, this was not a question he had wanted answered in such a manner. He was young yet. He knew that very well. He had much to learn still, many more mistakes to make. Milani…it may not be so for her. She knew how things worked; she knew the world’s secrets and how to use them. It would be presumptuous of him to assume that she didn’t know what she was doing, or who she was metaphorically (or perhaps literally) getting into bed with, but he was still left with an uneasy feeling. If they were in fact thinking of the same foul man, there was a chance Cadian knew things that Milani didn’t. A chance, not a definite.

“He is fond of my body. If I were not my clever self, he would take it and ravish it with all the devotion his scalpels and test tubes could give. If he were not interesting, I would kiss him hard and slit him from nose to navel.”

Cadian frowned slightly. The Rook was a doctor or a scientist (or both) who shared confidence with the King. There was too much similarity. Too much coincidence, and it turned Cadian’s stomach. Very slowly, Cadian sat back in his chair, hand moving over his chest as his eyes darkened in some memory. “I doubt it’s just your physical body he’s interested in.” His voice was hollow now, and he stared at his empty glass. If Cadian was wrong, if it was just some coincidence then so be it, but there were too many similarities for him to say nothing. “He probably cares more about what sustains it. You’d be better off to slit him further than his navel. I fear what he’d do if he tires you before he ceases to amuse you.”