“What are we doing in another bar? This is ridiculous,” Nivi glanced around, staring at the back of Kallan’s head with full disappointment. They’d heard he was a hard worker who didn’t let his horrible drinking habits interfere with his work, but this certainly wasn’t helping their impression of him. After having teleported all around the planet Miukoo, he’d had at least one drink from each bar they went into, and yet he didn’t even look drunk.
“We’re here to look for information,” Kimith replied to his younger sibling, the youngest royal of Monotum, whereas Kimith held the position of crown prince. The two were never particularly close to each other, but they never argued, either. It was just that the two of them were both very introverted with opposite mindsets. Where Kimith was very timid and afraid of everything, Nivi was bold and seemingly fearless. The older knew they looked down on him, which… he probably deserved. It was why they never talked to him unless they had to. But at least they were civil, so the two of them got along when they needed to.
But Kallan was just tired of that arrogant brat trying to boss him around and questioning his decisions. The five rulers of the Central Domain Alliance had made him the leader of this expedition, and after discovering that Lavimo had helped their prisoner escape, circumstances were just getting worse. He was tired, he wanted to search for that idiot kid, yet here he was, stuck looking for more of the villain’s hideouts on whatever planet Alroy had escaped to. It was quick-thinking for Feather to have put a tracker on him, but since he couldn’t talk to that runaway and ask him about the details, and since Leocadies wasn’t being any help as a stupid telepath, he was forced to search the planet without any prior knowledge of the specifics. And of course, the perfect way to find out anything related to suspicious rumors was to head to the bar and talk to a bartender. Those guys always knew everything if you paid the right price, and buying a drink or two usually buttered them, as well. Of course, he’d also have to be slick about it, but Kal always had that part covered.
“Ugh, whatever. Even if I was here to drink all my worries away, you’re not in any position to question me, Nivi. I can do whatever I like. And I’m going to get another drink,” Kallan huffed, waving Adona closer as the woman took a step forward to be at his side.
Adona Lockness was right beside him in status, being another one of King Cadence’s three personal guards who were the highest in rank among Salaven’s soldiers. However, that was about all she did. Whereas Vivienne and himself were also generals and strategists over the army, Adona was usually just a bodyguard whenever necessary and only went on specialized missions where people needed protection in particular. She was also known to be quite the lawful enforcer, the powerful woman known for making sure that all of Cadence’s rules were followed and who was often tasked with executing those who had committed one too many crimes. She had hair the color of strung gold tied into a tight, high ponytail atop her head with neat, perfectly symmetrical bangs framing her triangular face, along with fair white skin and bright blue eyes the color of a bluebird. She was very beautiful and very poised, and Kallan trusted her enough not to question his orders, so he only waved her over with a lazy smile and nothing more. “I want you to ask around with the bartender this time, Adona. I’m gonna go talk with some nice, friendly ladies and gentlemen.”
“Huh? We’re not here to flirt,” Nivi winced yet again, but Kallan just ignored them.
“Flirting is how he gets information, actually. Trust me, I’ve seen him do this a lot,” Listina commented to the side, Nivi just about ready to just walk out and quit this mission. They hated bars to begin with, and they hated that they were being forced to stay and chat with random people all day, taking part in mindless conversations with fools that was getting them no closer to their goal. Not to mention, this bar was right next to a guild for adventurers, so surely they’d all do better and gather more useful information if they went over there where there were actual commissions being handed out by real officials with power! Kallan was a moron.
Not that he cared how he was being viewed by the new member of his group. Kimith, Adona, and Listina trusted him, and that was all that mattered, so Nivi was far outvoted. And he quickly approached a table that looked filled with older, more seasoned adventurers, waltzing over with a drink in his hand.
“Hey! You guys must be adventurers, right? I mean, we’re right next to the adventurers guild… woah, I’ve never seen so many of you in one place before,” he pretended to gawk, hand covering his pale lips as he set his drink on the table and leaned forward to catch a better look at them, pretending to be rather obnoxious. “Tell me, what kinda work do you lot do these days?”
“Eh? Kid, I’m tryna’ drink, ya better scram.”
“No, no, please! Tell me everything, I just want to learn!”
“...ugh, that is so damn fake,” Nivi grimaced from the side as Adona walked forward to have a chat with the bartender, not batting an eye at either of them while Kimith hid behind his little sibling, hands on their small shoulders while Listina picked at her nail.
“So what? He’s getting information. It’s more than what you’ve done,” Listina retorted, Nivi brewing in that silence while they watched Kallan happily force his way into the group of adventurers while taking eager swigs of his beer.
Though, their leader had to admit, this group of his was pretty over-powered, and probably shouldn’t have to resort to pretending to be civilians wandering through bars chatting up storms just to get information. Kimith and Nivi were the son and child of Queens Nikiva and Saffra of Monotum, Listina was the second princess of Ovin, daughter to Queen Lizana and King Odipius, while Kallan was a noble and Adona was someone who had been born a poor commoner only to fight and claw her way up the ranks until she was just as powerful and had just as much influence as any other noblewoman would. Sure, Kallan might’ve been disowned by his family when he’d still been younger, but after he’d gotten engaged to Leocadies all those centuries ago, Lizana had taken him under her wing, and he was also one of Cadence’s favorite and most trusted soldiers, so it would be pretty bad to disrespect him at this point in time. Even his parents hadn’t moved to try and insult him in around three centuries now.
First there was Kimith, a tall man who didn’t look very tall because he was always hunching over. He had dark skin the color of charcoal and light blond hair wrapped into dreads that reached all the way past his hips. His eyes were a deep hue of brown, and Kallan was sure that if his best friend ever developed that backbone he was sorely lacking and made a move on a girl, his eyes would woo her in no time. Hahah, because… the last time he’d tried confessing to a girl… well, goodness… it had all gone so horribly wrong hahahahah… it gave him a nice laugh now, at least, whenever he thought about it.
Then, of course, there was Nivi, Kimith’s younger sibling by forty years exactly. They were perhaps the opposite of him in every way. Not only were they brave when he was a coward, blunt to a fault when he was shy, they were also short with a smaller build, unlike their older brother. Of course, Nivi simply would not stand for this, as obsessed with their reputation as they were, and they worked out everyday and tried all the time to find magical plants that could increase their strength and stamina without needing to develop an actual strength concept. They looked a lot like Nikiva, almost an exact copy, in fact. Though, since Kimith and Nivi were both Nikiva’s children, not Saffra’s, they both took after her with dark charcoal skin, honey brown eyes, frizzy blond locks, and firm, squarish facial features. Though Nivi preferred to keep their hair short, and had it all braided upwards in small sections to create dozens of tiny woven knobs on their head. Honestly, from what Kallan had observed, Nikiva and Nivi had both tried bullying Kimith into cutting his hair short as well, but he’d been defended by Saffra, who approved of how much he liked his hair long, since her hair was quite long as well. It was quite the home environment… better than his own, though. Kallan didn’t even talk with his parents or sister anymore.
Listina was, as he had stated before, yet another powerful royal. She had long, thick brown hair that was dark and smooth, as well as deep brown skin that reflected as somewhat bronze. Her eyes were the same full brown as her hair, and she was a very serious person, although she was surprisingly flexible and easygoing. When Leocadies had first brought home a noble who had been disowned by his family, she’d been one of the first to warm up to him, along with Leo’s other older sister, Mana. Bethabelle had hated him back then, though… after the news she’d discovered in that goddamn meeting, she probably hated him again… there was no escaping that love-hate relationship with that cranky woman, was there?
And then, last but not least, there was Adona, another close friend of his. When he’d first awoken with the concept of darkness, she was the one who had helped him train and get used to it. She was serious and composed, and she was the most hard-working, righteous person he knew. She was always looking up to meet the high expectations she’d placed on herself, and she had willpower like none other. Her concept fit her, as well. It fit her like no other concept ever could.
“My, you seem so curious about everything that’s going on around here. Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?” smiled one curvy woman who sauntered over, the table going eerily quiet the moment she appeared. Kallan had been annoying them and pretending to pester them like a brat, and had been laughing in all of their faces every time they told him to shut up and scram, but this new development on the other hand… was rather interesting. Kal wasn’t blind, he saw the reaction everyone was having to this lady. It was wariness. Fear, almost.
“Now, Rose, don’t go bothering the kid…” tried one adventurer, easily the same one who had just been telling him to piss off. The switch up caught Kallan's attention, and… so did her looks. Man, that had to be the reddest hair he’d ever seen. It was pretty, and he made sure she caught him staring while he took a good long sip of beer. Someone the seasoned adventurers of a guild were wary of, huh… she probably wasn’t your average person, then. Like, these guys and gals over at this table weren’t exactly the strongest people, and he could definitely take them all on at once without ever breaking a sweat, but they still weren’t anything to sneeze at either, and they had their strengths. So if this tall, curvy lady was someone they were wary of, she was probably a bit scary. Hah, how perfect.
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“Wow, miss! You’ve got quite the physique! Lovely dress, too, all of the red suits you very well. I see you have a theme,” he smiled at her, eyes running down her pale neck and down to the flush of her soft, round breasts, the thin strands of her revealing red gown showing a rather big chunk of cleavage with the curve of her shoulders and dip in her neck completely visible. Kallan’s eyes flickered down to her small waist, and then the shapes of her hips beneath all that thin red fabric… it looked like silk. Her legs were smooth, cleanly shaved and everything… hm. She wasn’t Kal’s type. He preferred women who flaunted their muscles. This girl didn’t look like she had muscles at all. What a shame he’d have to pretend to be attracted to her for a bit.
But she just laughed at him, walking closer towards the table with a fake smile, her red eyes and red lips popping against pale skin. “Aw, why thank you… you’re so sweet. You look rather dashing yourself… may I invite you to have a drink with me? I might be able to answer some of your questions. I do love curious people, so a nice chat would be fun. What do you say?”
“Hmm? A chat? I dunno… are you an adventurer?” he drawled out, smile still ripe on his features as he elbowed the man he’d just been bothering. “Is she one of you? She looks like a dainty little princess though… surely not.”
“Look kid, don’t go underestimating people like her,” the man snapped, turning eyes back to Rose, watching as the sly, seductive woman moved a hand around Kal’s waist and settled on the base of his hip. “And you, ya better not suck him dry.”
“Aw, you never have anything good to say about me. I’m just looking to have a good time. Aren’t you?” she smirked at him, Kallan smiling easily while he leaned into her chest. Sure, he could work with this. It was a bit weird though. He’d have to investigate how she knew he was the type to have sex in his very rarely given free time. Suspicious… but doable.
“Sure, yeah! Let’s have some fun! What information ya got for me, lady?”
“Oh, I’ll answer everything in due time. Come to the bar with me… I’ll buy you another drink.”
“Oh man, for real? Thanks!” he responded, voice chipper and naive as he got up and followed her along.
So, the adventurers were scared of her. There’d been eight of them at that table, and even with all of them there, they hadn’t made any real move to stand up for him, despite knowing she had not so lovely intentions. She somehow knew that sex was one of his coping mechanisms, but she didn’t know enough about him to know that was only when he was off the clock. It was possible she just didn’t know he was working right now, but if she knew him, she most likely knew the other members in his party as well, and… well, this organization did seem to know a lot about them in general because of that damned oracle. He really couldn’t be too careful. There was also the fact she was trying to get him drunk, but she wasn’t going to have any luck with that… it took him forever to get drunk. He’d already had seven drinks today and wasn’t even close.
“Ugh, what is that imbecile doing?” Nivi glared, watching him take a pretty woman by the waist and lead her to the bar, far too handsy for their liking. Adona was within hearing range, but Nivi was just absolutely done with this. “Does that nasty guy ever think with anything besides his dick?”
“He probably finds her suspicious,” Listina responded blandly, still mindlessly picking at her nails while Kimith shrunk away from a burly man passing him by.
“Y… yeah! Kallan never plays around on the job!”
“I don’t believe either of you, he’s clearly playing around right now,” Nivi groaned, entirely flabbergasted with everything going on in this hellhole of a mission. How was their stupid brother and this supposedly intelligent princess fooled by him? He was clearly already drunk and lusting after the first pretty woman he saw. They swore, all men were the same.
But Kallan, while certainly doing this for work, was indeed finding this to be a little fun, too, so perhaps Nivi wasn't entirely wrong. He rather enjoyed playing undercover as an innocent little brat at a bar, it was fun! Of course, he could always be insolent and bratty, but he never got the chance to just let loose and be immature too often. So even if he was just pretending right now, and wasn’t actually so naive and knew exactly what he was getting into, it was rather refreshing. “Soooo, Rose, watcha got ta tell me? Anything good? I’m looking for lotsa good information on suspicious things goin’ on ‘round here,” he smiled with a slur of his words, enhancing the flush of his cheeks by forcing all his blood to rush to his head, one of the few things he actually remembered how to do with his half-baked blood concept that he had never mastered. But don’t you see? It was lots of fun!
He wasn’t even bothered when Rose went and interlocked their fingers together, Adona paying close attention from where she sat a few seats over at the bar. This rose-palleted woman was clearly after something, trying to seduce him and the like, so he’d play around with her for a bit to figure out what it was she really wanted. Well, that was until… her appearance began to morph, and his feelings began to shift.
Rose was a tall woman with long red hair and bright, vibrant red eyes, her lips stained red with a rose red dress to match. She was almost jarringly red, she really needed to work on adding more colors into her wardrobe, if you were to ask him. But all of a sudden, she wasn’t who Kal was seeing anymore. It was like his mind blinked out of focus, and suddenly, there was a shorter, brawnier man with flaming orange hair in front of him, his mane fluffy and sharp with a long ginger braid that traveled all the way down his back to below his firm thighs. His skin was a soft caramel that shimmered underneath the lights of the bar, something that seemed to glow in his mind. The man he saw had lively, cat-like orange eyes that reminded him of a predator and a lion, always on the hunt for what he wanted. And, in the past, the one he used to want like that was Kallan. This man, the man in front of him, with his bratty little grin and eyes that seemed to smile with his mouth, it was… the man he loved.
That was the first emotion he felt, like he was being forced into it. The scenario he was in seemed so familiar, like he’d been thrust back in time. He suddenly felt the strong, almost irresistible urge to get up and caress the man in front of him, to show his affection and care, to touch the firmness of his body and the taut lines of his muscles… but that wasn’t right. No, that wasn’t all he felt for this person. This man he was seeing, the man he loved more than he could ever love anyone else… was also the man he hated more than any other person in the world. His love was buried, but his hate was raw. He’d been abandoned by the man he was being forced to see in his mind, he’d been thrown and tossed aside for some feeble princess that Leocadies had insisted needed him more. Because it didn’t matter if Kallan needed him. It didn’t matter what he felt. No one he loved ever stayed, they never saw any worth in him. That was why his love had been tainted with resentment, betrayal, and burning, simmering hatred… all coexisting with something that should’ve been so pure and dear to him. And that was what snapped him out of the illusion, leading him to see the woman dressed head to toe in nothing but rosy reds and revealing silks all over again.
Oh. So that was her concept. Quite sly, and quite dangerous. He was a bit stunned, unsure how he was supposed to play along with this. His mind was still reeling from being forced to see his memory of his dear and beloved Leocadies from four-hundred and thirteen years ago. Obviously it was fake, Leo wouldn’t look like that anymore. Who knows, maybe he wouldn’t even smile at him like that ever again. And at first, being forced to think about all that pissed him off. And when people pissed him off, his instinct was to knock them down a peg. But that wouldn’t do… they needed information, and they needed it desperately. And this woman clearly knew something.
“Hahh… I haven’t seen you in over four centuries,” he smiled dreamily, sucking up every last bit of determination he had left in him to reach out and caress Rose’s pale face. He’d never actually acted this way with Leo, but presuming she didn’t have access to his memories, she shouldn’t know that. “Where have you been all this time?”
“Oh, my… I’ve been waiting for you, my love…” she whispered, leaning closer into his palm as she tilted herself into his face. “Won’t you come along with me? I want to please you, dearest…”
Haha, she wanted to what now? Damn, if she wanted to rape him, she could at least talk a bit more seductively than that. Jeez, if sex was all she wanted, Kal wasn’t sure if he’d be able to tolerate this. But, well, he had a hunch this woman was more than she looked, based on her concept, anyway. No person who didn’t have a few crimes to hide would be in a bar trying to seduce someone with a concept like that. So he leaned forward, using the boos to make his face flush red once more, smiling into her shoulder while he dipped himself into the crook of her small neck. “Haha, sure… it’s been so long, I’d do anything for you…”
Jeez, this was horrible. He needed to send a signal to Adona right away. Well, whatever, he’d act like a stupid drunk for a little while longer. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d done it. So Kallan lifted himself up and unclipped a bag of gold from his pocket, throwing it towards his trusted ally as Adona caught it faithfully, all while he waved a drunken hand at her, stumbling off his chair and pulling Rose along with him.
“There, hahah… that’s to pay for all the, hic, the drinks…! Haha, c’mon Leo, let’s go,” he smiled, relishing in the slightly panicked look Rose gave him before she quickly hooked their arms together and rushed them along to the inn upstairs.
“Oh, you’re such a gentleman! Paying for your drinks! I would’ve done that for you, you know… now come on Kal…”
Haha, what’s this? So his hunch was right, she really did know information about him. He’d never once told her his name. But she didn’t know everything, or else she’d know that Leocadies only ever called him Kallan, and not Kal, for specific reasons he wouldn’t get into related to his pride… but ah, those were small details! At least now he had confirmation that she couldn’t actually see his memories! And that bag of gold had a tracker in it, which he’d already let Adona know of ahead of time… and he trusted her to get the message he was trying to send.
“That big oaf! He’s a disgrace to the alliance! Why is he the one leading us?!” Nivi stomped their foot with brash anger, Adona quickly using some of the gold to pay for their drinks before she walked over to join them.
“No. He gave me a tracker we can use to track his location. It seems he’s expecting to get kidnapped,” she marveled to her team, Kimith’s face turning awfully pale as he moved to cling to Listina’s thin shoulders.
“Wh, what? No way, no way… we, we have to go and save him!”
“Not so fast… he hasn’t even left the inn yet,” Listina sighed in retort, crossing her arms as she began to walk out of the bar whose smell she hated. She never had liked the smell or taste of boos. “He clearly thinks that lady has the intention to take him somewhere. We’ll wait until he seems to be stuck in one location for a while before we move.”
“Uh huh… like he totally isn’t just gonna waste himself away having sex before he comes right along back,” Nivi grimaced, but was quickly ignored by all those who had sense and who trusted their leader to do what he knew was best.
“Ahhh, I hope he’s okay… Kallan, I promise we’ll move to save you soon,” Kimith prayed, clasping his hands tightly together as he followed Listina out the door, Adona and Nivi moving behind them. And oh, what an eventful day this was. But Kallan’s hunch was exactly right, as they often were. And after getting knocked out the moment Rose took him into the bedroom, he would reawaken in a prison cell… far, far away from the bar he’d just been in.
New villain alert? Thoughts on Rose, anyone?
