You wanna get ahead?

[breaksthecuties]

Ariane Emory, Ari to those that knew her well, was a busy woman. When the call had come that Khamja were holding a meeting she nearly ignored it. She didn't attend Khamja's concerns often; they were a sideline, a way to keep an ear to the ground for rumblings in the distance. When you ran such a high profile laboratory complex as Reseune, it helped to know what was going on in the outside world. The shifts in politics might not impact science, but they could impact things like funding, or where those holding the purse strings wanted you to direct your attention.

The actual day of the meeting, however, had fallen into a gap in her schedule. It was a convenient gap, all the more convenient because of what she expected the meeting would be about. Khamja liked to keep its fingers in multiple pies, and the ongoing tension between Niflheim and Lucis was the bigger concern within Niflheim, but whisperings of the outbreak of war on the lowerworld of Spira had reached even there.

Galbadia had taken a Gotei Captain hostage on false charges, and said Gotei Captain happened to be one of the two resident Captains in Archades. One was the lead scientist at Draklor, the other was supposedly a kindly, benevolent figure that had influence in Archadian upper echelons. Ari had her doubts about the kindly and benevolent part; no one rose to that sort of position by being nice, but it was the common rhetoric.

She'd taken the journey time to educate herself on the political situation, and the individuals involved. Galbadia and the Archadian Empire had tense relations. Politically speaking, they'd been eyeballing each other for some time. Galbadia's military were highly effective. If they weren't they'd be an Archadian territory by now. Their remit thus far seemed to have been defensive, but now they'd taken an action that was distinctly offensive.

And curious. Arresting someone whose role lent them diplomatic immunity and a pass to cross borders in the pursuit of their duty was treacherous ground to walk. There had to be some reason other than mere trespass. Possibly, they believed he'd been spying, but that seemed like very dangerous accusations to make right now.

There were people in Khamja whose entire reason for existing was the sourcing of information that couldn't be obtained by other means. That was why Ari had gone to the effort of attending. It was likely Khamja knew more about what was taking place than any single given side of the affair right now.

Her two personal azi accompanied her. She rarely went anywhere without them. They were bodyguards, but they were also companions; people she could trust to listen and retain information without spilling it to undesirable ears. There had been no reason not to bring them.

Ari had been to Khamja's Desert Palace only once before, some years ago. It had been a brief visit for the purposes of her induction into Khamja's ranks. Still, some memories sparked along the way as they moved from the airship port to the main entrance. She remembered the main entrance, and it, it seemed, remembered her, opening to a touch of a glyph. It was a magical defence system. Ari couldn't say she approved. She much preferred more high tech methods of protecting information. Passwords and retina scans were less prone to failure over the course of time.

Though this would have been put in place by Kuja, who she remembered was rather proud of his ability as a mage. Perhaps he was confident the wards would last, or perhaps he carefully reapplied them on a regular basis. It was a complicated bit of magic, she had to grant him that.

The first entrance took them into a corridor, and beyond that lay another entrance. Catlin and Florian were probably working the Room in their heads already; a bottleneck like this would have them on guard. The next entrance opened out into a much larger hall, expensively decorated and, Ari had to admit, a little grander than she remembered.

The place also thronged with the reiatsu of people. It certainly hadn't been this well occupied the last time she'd been here.

Comments

[lawlietschiffer]

L had been one of the first to arrive in the ballroom, and he'd taken up his perch to watch the others come in. Who went and stood by who, who greeted who, it was potentially all interesting.

Aizen was the main topic on the meeting's agenda, but it was the byproducts of that which had summoned everyone. Lucis had seen an opportunity and sent an envoy, Niflheim had sent theirs. Other countries, with other political concerns were looking at the brewing tensions on Ivalice and looking for ways to profit.

L only wished he was the reason Aizen was locked away. He'd done what he could to get into the Galbadian systems and dig up information. D District prison was terribly secure, secure enough that L would have designed something similar himself. That was where Aizen currently was, they knew that. He wasn't the only member of Khamja currently residing there.

They kept dangerous people there. Obviously they suspected Aizen had done more than merely trespassed on their territory, but what they believed he'd done was a whole other matter. There was no way they could have held information on Aizen's activities unless it had come from within Khamja.

That was L's biggest concern. That, and the fact that the finger of suspicion for orchestrating a leak would fall on him.

As such, L knew where he believed the leak had originated. But proving it would be a different challenge.

"This meeting is for members," he said, addressing Arc, "you shouldn't be here without invitation."

The subject of whether underlings could stay was one he intended to let the rest of the clan sort out for itself. No one was going to tell Integra Hellsing to move Alucard, just as no one would get Ariane Emory to dismiss her azi.

They were waiting on Gin and Kuja, still, and then this could start.

[catlinandflorian]

Florian half-turned as the strange man in the back spoke.

Catlin, meanwhile, kept her eyes on the newcomer. He was young, bespectacled and tense. Catlin could see that in the set of his shoulders. He looked nervous, a situation not at all helped by the fact that he'd essentially just been asked to leave.

[hagsfiend]

Kreeth grinned.

She'd been around enough to know that the boy was Aizen's son. Some people had been so helpful as to comment on how alike the two were, age aside. Brown hair, brown eyes, apparent difficulty focusing on things in the distance without aid. It was helpful, really. She had no idea what Aizen looked like. She knew very little about him, save for the fact that he was imprisoned by some Ivalician country or other for ... as yet unknown reasons.

Oh, they were likely known by somebody there. That was the point of the meeting. It was almost exciting waiting for the information, but at the same time, knowing in advance would have given her more ... or less, reason for coming in the first place.

She eyed Aizen's son with interest, wondering what he'd do. Would he insist he had a place there due to his relation to the missing man..? Or leave quietly. After all, there weren't meant to be underlings present, but there were certainly a handful there.

[theheirapparent]

That happened faster than expected.

And from L, too. L had a problem with his father, Arc knew that. He'd be surprised if L wasn't the entire reason that he was locked up. He wasn't completely sure why they didn't like each other, but given that his father was a sneaky bastard who pretended to be nice, and L was a sneaky bastard who didn't, they probably just got on each others nerves generally. If there was anything deeper... well. That might just come out.

It didn't matter, though. It rankled that the one person who displayed open hostility to his father was the one who had opened his mouth about his being there. He narrowed his eyes.

"I don't need an invitation," he said, looking past the gathered others to L. "I joined the Clan."

[lawlietschiffer]

Arc Aizen had joined the clan. L hadn't been aware of that. Usually he did background checks on prospective members. Of course, with someone like Arc, they knew his background, so they wouldn't have bothered to call on L to check he was who he claimed.

While the cat was away the mice would play. Arc had joined in his father's absence. It didn't take a genius of L's calibre to work out that Sosuke Aizen might have disapproved of the appointment, but he wasn't around to voice objections, and so Arc had made his move.

"Who supported your bid?" he asked.

Whoever it was, they either had a bone to pick with Aizen, or didn't care if they upset him.

[thatsit]

Ignis watched the growing conversation. It didn't make much difference to himself and Gladio if this person, Ignis was vaguely aware of him as Aizen's son, had joined the clan or was merely sitting in as they were. That he'd joined was interesting, but not critical information.

The reaction to his announcing he'd joined was a little more interesting. It was as if the room had spied fresh meat. Was it because of who this boy was, or was it the entertainment value inherent to the situation? He'd walked into a room and declared his right to be there. A right that was his own, and not lent to him by his father's name.

It was difficult to tell who was looking at a potential new ally, and who was looking at a potential tool in their arsenal. And for some, he might be both.

Already the Nif with the azi was trying to worm her way in to his graces.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj eyed Arc.

He'd joined, had he? He folded his arms and shifted his weight, watching he conversation. He tried not to let it piss him off that others got to just walk into the clan, whether they'd walked in as prisoners like Ienzo, or of their own volition like Arc, but it still got under his skin.

Kadaj had been treated like a jumped up underling, was still a jumped up underling, but others got the respect membership should have lent to them from the start.

It bothered him a bit that Arc had walked in so easily, and it would have been because of who his dad was. He wanted to know, like L, who'd put him forward.

[lesstravelled]

Road grinned.

Baby Aizen had joined, had he? "Do you think he wants to play with the big boys?" she asked Tyki in Jyllandi, her eyes alight as she tapped a finger against her bottom lip.

His dad might be a Gotei Captain that was part of a nasty, underworld clan like Khamja on the side, but that didn't mean he was prepared for the rest of them. He'd just walked into a room full of snakes.

If he stepped on a tail he was going to get bitten.

[shoottokill]

Gin approached the ballroom on silent feet, suppressing his reiatsu to the point where it wouldn't be felt beyond those already gathered. It was lost in the noise, like the delicate sound of a pin dropping to the floor at a Blitzball match.

He stood in the doorway, not obscured, but not the centre of attention. He was good at that. He smiled at Arc's declaration, a response to L's question. To his credit, his voice didn't shake. Of course it had been L that had pressed him. Some of the others didn't know him, some of them wouldn't care, but L... Aizen's son being there, apparently uninvited ... L wouldn't have been able to resist sticking his oar in. It gave Gin the warm fuzzies, especially when he questioned Arc further.

That was when Gin stepped forward, hands hidden in the opposite sleeves, a smile cutting across his face like the fixed grin of a midgardsormr raised up to strike. If Arc had just stepped into a viper's nest, he didn't have much to worry about. The biggest snake in the writhing, venomous ball of hissing monsters was reared up behind him, tail rattling enough to warn the others off.

"Oh," Gin said, speaking just loud enough to be heard over the sound of his own footsteps. "That'd be me."

[theheirapparent]

Arc hadn't felt Gin approach. He hadn't heard him, either.

To his credit he didn't jump. Instead he fixed L with an expression every bit his father, saying nothing. Gin had said all that needed to be said. Instead he cocked his head to one side, just fractionally, a challenge for L to argue with him.

A challenge for anyone to dispute his right to be there.

[lawlietschiffer]

So it was Gin. Somehow that information both made the most sense, and presented the biggest surprise. There weren't many others who knew Arc well enough to have put him forward. Supporting someone's bid for membership meant putting one's own reputation on the line. Transgressions made by a new member could reflect badly on the person that had stood for them.

On the other hand, Gin should know perfectly well how the elder Aizen was likely to feel about the appointment. The two were friends, as well as allies, and cohorts.

Perhaps that was why Gin wasn't concerned about Aizen's disapproval. He was the most untouchable one here.

"His father won't be happy," L pointed out, simply. He spoke over Arc's head, to Gin directly.

[joinmyreunion]

Of course it was Gin.

Kadaj shifted his weight and tried not to be irritated. Gin was up to something. Gin was always up to something. Whether that something was smaller scale mischief like winding someone up, or whether it was something bigger you could never really tell. The best thing you could do with Gin was hope you weren't in his way.

And that he liked you enough not to be aiming for you.

Whether Gin was using Arc to do something right now, or he was just bolstering Arc in that weird, indirect way of his remained to be seen. Nothing Gin did was ever straightforward.

It might not even be about Arc and Aizen, in the end. They were just the obvious conclusions. Gin wasn't someone you wanted to play chess against.

[declaregamuza]

Nearly everyone was there. It was almost time.

Nel slipped in the doorway and stood to the side, her hands behind her back as if she was on duty. Functionally, she was. She might not be guarding the band of reprobates that made up Khamja, but she was here for work purposes.

She'd got back late last night, and it didn't feel as if she'd got enough sleep. The sight of Aizen in D District haunted her. She'd never seen him like that before. How much of his confidence and strength had been a front? He wouldn't have allowed himself to seem weak in front of any of them, but surely, after this long, he was feeling the effects?

She pushed the memory out of her head and concentrated on the room. No one was really standing together, they were accumulating in their little groups and pairs. Even, Ienzo, Kadaj. Ignis and Gladio. Lumi and Marluxia. A woman Nel didn't recognise and two dressed in black, flanking her like guards. Road and Tyki. Kreeth, and Hojo, and L, all off on their own.

She hoped whatever was going on with Arc at the moment, and the question of what Arc was doing in here burned in her mind, was enough to distract people from her presence.

[theheirapparent]

It rankled that L talked over him, but now wasn't the time to raise a fuss about being talked around like a naughty child at a family dinner.

He was still the newest member of the Clan, regardless who had vouched for him. He wasn't sure if that gave him better or lower standing than the Lucians, but he wasn't going to make an exhibition of himself regardless.

[shoottokill]

Gin's smile widened at L.

"Ya probably right," he said airily. "But who knows when he'll get to express his opinion? Someone went and got him locked up in that prison. Ain't that why we're here?" He spread his hands.

And who liked Aizen less than L? His hostility towards the man was not secret. Everybody in Khamja hated most everybody else, short of little alliances, and those with enemies most often didn't suffer them secretly. One had to be very careful to keep those secret. Sometimes, however, making them open was better than not, though that meant knowing which moves to play, which moves to save and which pieces to sacrifice.

"We just waitin' on Kuja?" He asked, tone lightening.

[lawlietschiffer]

There were barbs in Gin's words. L could feel them, despite Gin's easy, relaxed tone.

He narrowed his eyes. Some people would think it was his doing that Aizen was locked up. They didn't need the idea putting in their head by Gin.

"Aizen doesn't need help getting himself into trouble." He needed help to stay out of it, however.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj glanced sidelong in L's direction. He was a creepy little weirdo at the best of times, and he was being that extra hard right now.

"It looks like it," he said, answering Gin's question. A quick glance around the room told him that everyone else that had come for the meeting was already here.

His eyes stuck on Nel, however. She wasn't a member, and she wasn't meeting his eyes. "I guess some of the underlings are invited."

Nel had to be there on invite. She wasn't the sort who'd try and slink in for no reason, and she'd been out of the Palace for a few days seeing Aizen. Kadaj hadn't realised she was back. The place swam with so much new reiatsu that it got easy to forget about the signatures you were used to.

The other underlings, well, Kadaj wasn't about to put on a show of telling their owners they should go. It'd look like he was throwing his weight around because the last time some of these people had encountered him, he'd been an underling himself.

[cruciohappy]

Bellatrix sneered. She understood Ivalician, of course, which was lucky. These people would insist on conversing strictly in their barbaric tongue.

"Stinking up the place," she growled, in Jyllandi, "just like some of their owners." Her eyes fell across the assembled Selkies, from the one that was lurking near the doors with her head down to the ones that had the audacity to try and command the room.

[hagsfiend]

Kreeth grinned, white teeth showing bright against her odd colouration. She wasn't only a non-Hyur, she was a Mistant non-Hyur, same as Kuja, so Bellatrix probably had it in for her two-fold. It didn't worry her. Bella Lestrange wasn't the only powerful witch in the room.

"Can't you manage the Lowerworld tongue?" She asked, speaking slowly, as if to a simple person. She cocked her head to one side, owl-like, expression fixed.

Must be all the inbreeding, she thought.

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi fixed his eyes on Bellatrix, pupils narrow.

To those who hadn't spent time with him and Marluxia, it would be easy to assume he was an underling. His body language was a match for that of the newcomer's two black-clad minions and even many of those who knew him for a member thought him to be firmly under Marluxia's thumb at worst and a bodyguard at best. Marluxia was the brains, Lumi was the one you had to be careful of.

He narrowed his eyes.

She was easily the most unpleasant person there, and Khamja was generally a melting pot of thoroughly unpleasant people. She had a problem, from what he and Marluxia had been able to find out, with anybody who wasn't a dark-haired Hume. She held the sort of archaic racism that history from his world had all but forgotten, choosing instead to heap their prejudices on other species rather than other colourations of the same. To her eyes, Marluxia and himself were Selkies. The same could be said of Ienzo, and Even was likely seen as an Al Bhed, if not a typical one.

She set his teeth on edge.

When Kreeth spoke, Lumi knew that a switch had just been flipped. It was a question, one softly spoken, but the bird-woman may as well have thrown a punch. He took a half-step in front of Marluxia, far from the only bodyguard in the room to notice the subtle straining of tension.

[catlinandflorian]

Catlin observed the conversation, understanding the conversation far more easily than she would have otherwise. She spoke Ivalician, as did Florian, but their native language was more comfortable to her ears.

When the Aegyl spoke, Catlin straightened up, her posture stiffening. Florian's fingers brushed his sidearm, the action mostly hidden by his position in relation to the two women.

[shieldoftheprince]

Gladio moved.

His movement wasn't as graceful as that of the azi, or Marluxia's companion, but it didn't need to be. He simply unfolded his arms, taking a step further from Ignis, putting a foot between the two of them.

He could almost hear it, the imagined high-pitched twang of a rope worn to the last few strands. Any more weight and the whole thing would snap.

Others had obviously seen the same thing coming. The obvious bodyguards aside, the tall Al Bhed with the two younger men had put himself just slightly in front of them, his jaw set. Paradoxically, some of the others seemed deliberately unbothered by the growing tension. The male Noah hadn't moved to protect the girl, but he'd paused with his cigarette halfway to his lips. The grinning Selkie who had vouched for the boy hadn't reacted at all, except for a slight widening of his smile.

He held his breath.

[cruciohappy]

Bellatrix felt the irritation rising up her spine. That filthy little tag had dared to address her.

Dared to suggest she was stupid, no less.

Her fingers curled around her wand, but she didn't draw it. "I can speak that pathetic excuse for a language perfectly well," she spat back at the winged creature. "It's disgusting enough to have to address filth without having to sully my own tongue to do it."

[thatsit]

Ignis breathed in slowly through his nose. If he threw one of his daggers right now, it might just stick in midair, the tension was certainly thick enough.

Gladio, Lumi, the two azi, all looked ready for a tense situation to escalate further. Meanwhile, the Jyllandi woman, obviously one of the very old racist type that probably considered kekkei genkai to be a dirtying of a bloodline, was doing her best to antagonise things further.

[hellsingsforyou]

Integra eyed the dark haired woman. Her accent suggested she was from Nagapur, which might explain a bit about her views. The nobles there could be very disapproving of any blood impurity. Even blonde hair was too much for them to take.

Behind her, still hiding behind his hat, Alucard chuckled. The sound filtered into the tense room, making things worse.

"Alucard," she warned, quietly.

"I admire a woman who says what she thinks," he answered, lifting his head up. Integra didn't turn to look at him. "Want me to rip her throat out?" he growled.

"Don't make me have you stand outside," she answered.

"She called you filth," he pointed out.

Integra ignored that. She'd been called worse, much worse, but it always got Alucard's back up more than he was willing to admit. Which was why he could be a pain to control sometimes.

"I wouldn't want you to get food poisoning," she told him.