Well it's my very little wonder and it's one that I will keep

[lesstravelled]

Something was going on.

Something was always going on. The world was a big and bustling place full of the small evils people committed against each other. Road enjoyed that about life. Anywhere you went you'd find people being people everywhere, and it never mattered if those people were tall or short or old or young or lizards or dogs or boring old humes. People transcended the species barrier, and people were awful. Terrible.

Fun.

Sometimes there were the larger evils people committed against each other too, and Road was part of more than one of those. They were Noah. Clandestine, dangerous, remorseless. They had their spoons in more than one pot of evil and gave them a stir occasionally to make sure the nastiness didn't just sink to the bottom and stay there.

They didn't concern themselves with the lowerworld much. Road, and Tyki, and the others, had been busily stirring another pot on Jylland, their usual playground, when the summons had come from Khamja on the lowerworld. They'd had some work from them, in the past, but their relationship with Khamja was normally distant. The Earl had maintained the connection, because connections were good, and maybe once they were done playing on Jylland it'd be fun to find a new place to play, but when the summons had come, he hadn't been able to attend himself.

He'd sent Road in his stead, and Tyki to go with her. It was easier to be underestimated when you dressed cute and sounded cute and looked cute, and had someone that definitely looked like an adult with you.

Something was going on. Khamja were playing their cards close to their chest, but they'd requested the presence of every single member, both shadow and open, for an important meeting.

Road didn't try to surmise what exactly it was that was going on. It wouldn't involve them, at any rate, at least not yet, but there was always the opportunity for new opoortunities. New people, new places, new things to learn and use.

Their directions to the Desert Palace hadn't been the best. The place was hidden, and marking it on maps would be a good way of making it no longer hidden. Not that maps were any help when you were approaching from the other side.

Road gave their transport an affectionate stroke along its bony mask. The journey from Niflheim, where they'd been, to Rabanastre, would have been a boringly long walk if they hadn't hitched a ride. Fortunately, there wasn't a Hollow in existence that would deny a Noah asking a favour.

"Do you think The Earl will be upset if we set off their alarms?" she asked, tilting back from her perch on the Hollow's head to look at Tyki upside down. Her legs dangled down, her feet brushing dangerously close to its teeth, but it wouldn't bite. It wouldn't dare.

The route had been surprisingly well trodden for something in the depths like this. Hollows came this way regularly, but if you were used to Hollows you could tell where they veered away from a spot. They gave population centres a wide berth, or the smart ones did, so you found the paths they took might open out within sight of one, but almost never in one. Not unless they were told to.

The same thing happened here. There were probably wards, or some kind of defense mechanism to keep even the Hollows out of an area that would, normally, be one of their gathering places. Some old, forgotten, sunken ruin beneath the sands, deep in the heart of the Zertinan Caverns would be teeming with Hollows if it wasn't for the fact it wasn't forgotten, or abandoned.

The Hollows stayed away. Whatever was there was too powerful for them to think it worth taking on.

They'd come out of the Garganta into the Caverns, and then pressed on, but now might be a good time to let the Hollow leave. Not that Road was against making an entrance, but it would spoil the fun if everyone knew what they were before they knew what everyone else was.

Comments

[declaregamuza]

Nel flicked a glance at Lumi as he was... quizzed. Interrogated had too many connotations, but he was definitely being quizzed. Obviously he'd piqued Road's interest. He was probably going to get a lot of that, in the next few days.

The kettle boiled as she prepared the coffee mugs. "Milk and sugar?" she asked, looking over at Tyki, and seeming oblivious to the terrifying pale man she was stood near.

Lumi wasn't that bad once you got below the surface. Just wait until they found out about Marluxia holding his leash.

[intangibleman]

Tyki looked up at Nel, pulling his attention from Road's questioning of the man. She was worried. Usually she had all the information, so she asked abstract questions, or toyed with them. This man was an unknown quantity and it was of a concern to her.

"Please," he said, giving her another smile.

He didn't feel quite so special now she'd offered the newcomer a drink as well.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi thought about his answer to that question. Was he new? He'd been a member of Khamja for some time now, living in the palace itself for the majority of that time. He wouldn't consider that new, not when others had joined some time after him. Kadaj had become a full member since his and Marluxia's joining, and Ienzo and Even had been brought in during the same timeframe.

"Not particularly," he answered. "My partner and I have been members for a few years."

It seemed, to Lumi's reckoning, that she had been briefed on what she could expect of the meeting and its attendees by... somebody. A boss, perhaps, or an absent associate. That he apparently hadn't been on the roster she'd been given had wrong-footed her and the outdated information that had omitted him had come as a surprise. The man, obviously her chaperone, was less than interested in him, too taken with the ever-popular Nel, so he suspected, against all reason, that she was the brains of the pair. She was too clued up to be a nosy child of Lilinette's ilk, for all that seemed to be how she wanted to come across, and the gap in her information spoke volumes about what she did know.

Marluxia would undoubtedly find that fascinating.

[hagsfiend]

Kreeth listened to the conversation between Road and Lumi with interest.

She hadn't known about him either, but she was under no illusions about being given all the information. Khamja was made up for all sorts, criminals and politicians, supposed paragons of society and thugs from the underground. Some were public, some were not. It seemed that this Lumi was a total unknown, even to somebody who seemed convinced they knew everything they should expect of a Clan meeting, so he wasn't some Ivalician public figure.

Interesting, interesting.

Kreeth doubted that anybody would be so interested in the man had he not ghosted into the room. Powerful people were Khamja's bread and butter, but this one was unexpected and exceptionally dangerous. It was easy to see when a snarling, snapping dog was going to bite you, after all. A silent one suddenly sinking teeth into you always came as much more of a shock.

[lesstravelled]

Partner, Road thought. So he had someone he worked with, which presumably meant that there were two of them of this sort of power level. Unless one was the brains and one the muscle, in which case, well, Lumi had to be the muscle. She hoped.

She gave a murmur as she leaned back in the chair again. "There must be a lot of people who weren't here last time," she said, glancing briefly at Tyki. He was one of them. "And a lot of people that won't be there this time," she added, quietly.

Out of the corner of her eye she gave Lumi another look. "Who's your partner?"

[declaregamuza]

The kettle finished boiling, and Nel set about making the coffees, only half listening to the less than subtle interrogation Lumi was receiving from Road. It sounded like Road had been present the last time Khamja had met, but if that was the case, how long ago had that been, and how old was she? Nel had taken her for Lilinette's age, but maybe she was older than she looked.

That, or Khamja started some of them young.

She slid a finished mug across the counter towards Lumi before she turned to give Tyki a smile. "One or two?" she asked, and then flashed her teeth at him in a grin, "Or ten, but please don't say ten." She'd taken the sugar bowl away from L when she'd counted ten, and that was in tea. She dreaded to think what he'd put in coffee.

[lilinette]

Lilinette grumbled and folded her arms on the table before resting her chin on top of them. She bit her lip, because she wanted to tell the rest of them who, or what, Lumi was, but it might annoy him if she said it right here in front of him. Better to wait until he wasn't in earshot. Then it would only be Nel getting offended, and Lilinette could deal with Nel.

[intangibleman]

Tyki considered saying ten, but resisted the urge. Instead he held up two grey fingers.

"Just two."

Coffee, he'd been told, wasn't something that was supposed to be enjoyed sweet. Sweet was for desserts and the joy of coffee was in the deep black bitterness. He disagreed. He liked milk to take an edge off the astringency and enough sugar to make it palatable.

[thesilentstorm]

Last time? When had the last Khamja meeting been? Before they'd arrived, he could guess. According to what he'd heard from Kuja, the Clan came together less than frequently. This was partly because coordinating them all was a difficult feat and partly because given the nature of many of their members, putting them together was something of a risk.

So how old was the girl? If he wasn't certain that she was no mere underling before, he was now.

"Marluxia," he said, accenting his name in his odd way. "I expect he is in his greenhouse."

He indicated the back door of the kitchen with a tilt of the head and grasped the mug Nel slid to him with a nod of thanks.

[declaregamuza]

Nel gave a nod and a smile. Two was acceptable. As far as sugar content of drinks was concerned, two was acceptable, three was pushing it, and more than five meant you shouldn't be drinking grown up drinks yet.

She added two sugars and gave it a thorough stir before she transported the cup to the table. "There you go," she said. "If you have any dietary preferences, state them now. I tend to do the resupply run." She flashed Tyki a smile as she spoke.

[lesstravelled]

The Gardener, Road thought. She wouldn't have expected someone so fond of flowers to be so powerful. Landscaped gardens with a stately home were one thing, but someone here had taken the time to install insects and birds in their underground enclave.

Partner, though. There were connotations to that word. They came as a pair, it meant. One was always associated with the other.

"And he's your partner?" she asked, stressing the last word just so because, well, there were partners, and there were partners. One type worked together, the other exchanged rings.

[lilinette]

Lilinette bit her lip and squirmed. Everyone thought they were partners even though they were partners, and even Road did, from the sound of it.

Which they were, no matter what Marluxia and Lumi said.

"Everyone says so," she said, giving Lumi a defiant glance. He could deny it if he liked. Lilinette certainly didn't believe him.

[intangibleman]

"Thank you," Tyki said, taking the cup from her in long grey fingers.

Dietary preferences? Did he have any preferences? Well, yes, but he suspected could sate that particular want by visiting the lake. Was there anything else? Not really. He'd grown used to the rich food served by the Earl's servants, but he wasn't averse to other things. He'd grown up on a steady diet of scavenged leftovers, after all.

"Anything's fine," he said.

[hagsfiend]

Kreeth gave a soft snort of amusement. The little girl was getting restless and it was affecting her ability to stay quiet. She probably shouldn't say things about other members of the Clan, but she was apparently struggling with her filter.

"Do they now?" Kreeth asked.

Well, sometimes pots needed to be stirred.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi merely gave Road a flat look at the question, and at the stress on the word.

He lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip of his coffee, looking at Road over the rim of it. He wasn't going to repeat himself and he knew what she was getting at. What they all got at. He didn't much care. They were free to think as they liked.

[lilinette]

Lilinette gave a firm nod and a confirming, "Mmhmm," like a child imitating their mother, and about to impart further evidence or knowledge of their assertion.

"They also say," she said, turning her nose up into the air, "that Lumi's Marluxia's pet psychopath." She glanced sidelong at Lumi, and then deliberately flicked her eyeline to Nel before adding, "Just not where either of them can hear."

Except just now, where she'd said it in front of Lumi, but it wasn't as if she was saying Lumi was a pet psychopath, just that other people did.

[declaregamuza]

Nel heard the words coming out of Lilinette's mouth at the same time as she saw that look of childish defiance.

"Lilinette!" She frowned sharply at the young Arrancar. "That is not a nice thing to say."

It had been what everyone thought. It was certainly the impression you got if you were stuck with them for a short length of time. It was when you spent longer in their company, or at least in Lumi's company, that you realised it might not be the entire truth. Lumi had a similar quietly intense devotion to Marluxia to the kind Ulquiorra held for Aizen. It was probably unhealthy, and almost certainly didn't involve any deeper examination of the object's motives and actions, but there it was.

As far the implied romantic liaison between Lumi and Marluxia, Nel wouldn't like to comment. She preferred to keep her view that if they weren't knocking boots she'd eat her hat, provided someone bought her one first, to herself.

[lesstravelled]

Road giggled, a bright, joyous sound that was somehow worse for that fact. She liked Lilinette; she was easy to get information out of.

So, brain and brawn it was, then. That was easy enough.

Psychopath, however? Road was familiar with psychopaths. Road was a psychopath, and Lumi didn't seem quite in her league. Cold, sure, and frighteningly powerful, and unconcerned with the effect it had on others, but that didn't make you a psychopath.

She leaned forward, over the table, giving Lumi a bright, slightly fanged smile. "You don't look like a psychopath," she said.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi listened as Lilinette opened her mouth and spilled everything she'd been trying to hold in with little regard for Clan diplomacy, nor Nel's feelings on the matter of her doing it.

Lumi slid his gaze to the girl, fixing her with a long, slit-pupilled look. She either wanted to try and stir up trouble deliberately, or she wasn't quite aware of the danger she was in with her master away. When Road spoke again, he looked back at her, lowering his mug a few inches from his mouth.

Psychopath? He didn't think he was. Oh, he'd heard what people said. It wasn't as if the concept of him being either crazy, nor Marluxia's pet, was new to him. He'd heard it all. He found it useful, as did Marluxia. It gave people the wrong idea about their partnership, and the dynamics of it. It made them underestimate both Marluxia's strength and Lumi's intellect. This girl seemed to be falling straight into that well-tested trap.

"Do I not?" He said, raising his eyebrows a fraction. His tone and expression did not waver, giving away nothing about his feelings on the matter.

[intangibleman]

Tyki hadn't paid much attention to the conversation between Road and the pale man. By the time he tuned in, Nel was yelling at the girl and Road was looking delighted about something.

The man himself seemed ... calm. He was difficult to read, even for him. His expression barely shifted and his kept his voice even, either deliberately or because it was just what he was like. The volume of his speech hadn't shifted, nor had the intensity ...

He wouldn't want to play poker against him, that was for sure.

[lesstravelled]

Road's grin grew wider. "No," she answered. The fact that Lumi wasn't giving a rebuttal was interesting; obviously he found the reputation useful, but then, who wouldn't? "Why do they think you are?"

Something had to have happened. Maybe it was an image they fostered deliberately. Maybe it was an informed trait, something they'd been quick to tell everyone so that the idiots kept their distance? Or maybe he had actually done something.

It wasn't something you took so mildly if you didn't know people thought that, anyway, and if you knew, surely you knew why?

[lilinette]

Lilinette turned a grin on Lumi. It was the grin of small, mischievous children that had caused some form of trouble. She knew full well that she'd caused some form of trouble. Nel looked like she was ready for dragging her away by the ear.

Lilinette stuck her tongue out at Nel.

"He bit Szayel," she said. "Szayel said he was like a caged animal. He broke Szayel's hand."

[declaregamuza]

Nel scowled. "Yes," she said, "well Szayel learned why we don't put hands in other people's mouths, didn't he?"

She sighed, and then looked at Lumi. "I'm sorry about her," she said, in a tone that suggested Lilinette was going to learn how sorry later, once the audience was gone.

She was getting dragged to Halibel, for a start.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi gave the smallest fraction of a shrug at Nel's apology. It wasn't her place to apologise for the girl, but it wasn't as though information like this wouldn't get around once people started arriving anyway. It wouldn't be too long before the visiting members became very aware that they were Ryoka, he expected.

With a small sigh, he looked back at Road.

"I'm a Berserker," he said, by way of explanation. "Being considered unstable is a hazard of the class."

It was as good a reason as any. Berserker was in his Class roster and he wasn't afraid to use it. It was freeing, all things considered, like flicking a switch that removed inhibitions. It hadn't been the reason why he'd bitten Szayel, but that was merely a detail.

"Besides," he added, sipping his coffee again. "If you'd ever had to suffer the man in question, you'd want to bite him as well."

The smirk he wore then gave a little weight to Lilinette's earlier suggestion.

[hagsfiend]

Kreeth listened to the conversation with mild interest. A Berserker, was he? That was fascinating. He didn't look the type. In her admittedly limited experience, they tended to be gigantic muscle-bound idiots who liked to throw their weight around.

This man wasn't that. He was probably a little over six feet tall, slender and the long hair, tied back as it was, gave the impression he was effeminate, even if when you looked properly at his face, he wasn't the wrong side of the line. It was hard to imagine him being vicious and physical in battle. He looked like a mage, even if he didn't feel like one. He didn't feel like anything.