It might be a bit iffy, but Archius thought he'd better get a head start. Whoever this Noah guy is, he knows something about Kaz, seems to be bugging him too. Well, better find out what that is.

"Got it?" Kazuki asked, washing his hands in the sink of the restaurant toilets. The walls and floor were of a marbled, pristine facade.

Archius shrugged. "What's in it for me?" he asked. "Plus, I'd prefer to manipulate and engineer Republic power brokers, will help us. If it worked getting Delia on board with the AGENCY, these people will fold easily - so why him?"

"Security," Kazuki snapped back. The idea was simply too vague for Archius. Ugh, he thought to himself.

Kazuki glared at him. Even knowing he wouldn't do anything, it sent a shockwave down Archius' spinal cord, the mechanisms crackling awake.

"Fine, fine! I'll do it," Archius said. "But anything I should know before latching onto him?"

Kazuki stopped the tap, popping a Halolazil pill into his mouth. His head looked at the mirror.. "What do you know about him?" he asked.

Oh, a question with another question: he must be hiding something, Archius thought. It was probably for the best he plays along. "Well, Noah Slyra-Montageu, son to the CEO of a media conglomerate. Current student at Sarimba, possible connections to you…"

Kazuki's head slowly turned towards Archius. "Did you access my files for that?"

"Pfft, no?" Archius started pacing around the toilets. "You think I'd remember your password? That three hundred word long double cypher."

"Five cyphers," Kazuki corrected him. "Keep an eye on him. He's chummy with my sister."

"Oh? So you're worried about your sister?" Archius jabbed at Kazuki's side, walking past him before sitting on the sink, straightening out his collar with Kazuki. "Look at you, finally caring about her, worried about some stranger chumming up to h—"

"—Say another word and I'll chummy your face against the wall," Kazuki snapped. Archius stopped, before letting off a chuckle. For a moment, Archius dithered to whether he was being sarcastic.

Archius slapped Kazuki across the harsh surface of his exospine. Kazuki jolted up right. "Alright, I'll see what I can learn from him."

Kazuki grumbled, knowing exactly what he meant by that. "Just… okay."

Surprisingly compliant to his remark.

"And what are you even doing at the sink?" Archius asked.

"Sobering up," Kazuki replied, turning the sink back on, he splashed water on himself. "I drank one of those glasses of wine they handed out."

Damn lightweight, Archius thought. "Well, good luck on that, I'm not carrying you if you get hammered, by the way."

Kazuki turned to him and splashed water into his face. He remained standing still, purified water trickling down his hair. "What the fuck was that for?" asked Archius, wiping his face.

"I… don't have a water bottle."

Archius snickered at his answer. "Well, whatever. We're in this together… I've gotta help you protect Eliza after all… this will help in the investigation, yes?"

"Let me and Eliza handle the investigation," Kazuki remarked. "Just keep tabs on Noah. I'll call you in when I need you."

Golden eyes turned back to Archius, the two staring at each other. Archius shrugged, and smirked. Here he thought Kazuki was going to use him effectively, still playing it safe it seems. Archius doesn't blame Kazuki, with how many knives are in the walls, who knows what threats lurk in these halls.

With that out of the way, Archius left the toilets, exiting back out into the lobby of the restaurant. The group was waiting there: Liz talking to Chloé and Noah, watching a video Yuki had on.

Looking at Nathan, he seemed quite timid, not as strong or as confident as his brother, Gabriel. He wrapped on arm around him, leaning over as he tried to watch what Yuki was showing them.

"So you're the brother?" Archius asked, as Nate jolted in surprise..

"Y—yes?" Nathaniel sheepishly responded, looking up at Archius.

Archius glanced at the video they were watching. It was a video of several Kasi-cats. Archius then felt a weight onto his shoulder, as he thought Kazuki might have been doing the same thing he was doing to Nate. Wait, that's not possible! Kazuki's shorter than him!

His head twisted to be face to face with Pi, the Phoenicia-Leviathan. It was resting, probably latching to him as the only 'familiar' being.

"Archius!" Yuki twisted her head to look back at him. Well, if Kazuki was short: she'd be a fucking dwarf in height… Still, she's far more 'alive' than her brother. "Can you tell me brother to stop taking forever in the toilet? I wanna get some booze!"

"Are… you even allowed to drink?" Noah asked.

Nathaniel muttered, "Yeah… It just feels wrong in my heart, I guess"

Even when hightailing after Noah, he sounded weak and feeble. Archius thought about how he'd manipulate this kid, then realised that it wouldn't really be any point. Noah's his target. Not Gabe's brother..

Archius sneaked a glanced at Noah, slightly shorter than him. "It's gonna be fine! You are in the care of two totally responsible adults," Archius said, siding with Yuki on this. Nathaniel will cave easily, that much was sure. Noah's reaction was what he was after.

"Yeah!" Yuki shouted.

Nathaniel nodded in turn, not opposing Archius, looming above him.

"Hmm?" Noah pondered for a moment. "Sure, why not, me and Archius will look over you guys… Wait? Archius?"

"Hmm?" Archius pondered for a moment. Where does Noah know himfrom?

Noah clicked his fingers, before pointing one at Archius' face. "You're the spitting image of some actor that was on the big-screens a few years ago…"

"Wait… he is?" Yuki asked, peering up at Archius' face.

Snappy and smart? No, good memory, most likely, Archius thought. Noah's classification is now a wildcard, Archius can't discern what his objectives are, nor what his true relation with Kazuki is.

"Never been on the silver-screens," Archius said. "Still, glad you think I can make it into the show-bizz!"

Noah let off a small chuckle beneath his breath. "Probably do, but hey, I'm sure you'd be a successful actor, my guts tells me that."

Maybe he's not a wildcard. He's definitely not a hard ass that can't change his opinions, LIKE SOME PEOPLE… Archius glanced towards the toilet door, as Kazuki left it. Finally!

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Archius has already made a good read on Noah, not a great read but it's a starting point: especially considering that it's been less than an hour.

"Hey, Kazu!" Yuki shouted over to her brother, attracting attention to herself. "Wanna get drinks with us?"

Kazuki walked past their group, over towards Eliza and Chloé. "Drink in moderation, please?" he asked, before joining Chloé and Liz's conversation.

Moderation? What a dumb, lazy and boring idiot, Archius thought.

"Blegh… so borring," Yuki said, looking at Archius. He agreed. "Can you convince him to join us? He never relaxes at all nowadays!"

He never relaxes to begin with, to be completely honest.

"Aha…" Archius scratched the back of his head. "It'll be fine with just the four of us, one drunk GemRy is already enough to deal with."

"Wait… we're getting drunk?" Nathaniel asked, anxiety in his voice. "We're not gonna get drunk, are we?"

Archius decided to play a little game on the poor kid. "No, we're getting absolutely hammered, smashed, even! You gonna back down or what?"

"Hey, hey, relax on him?" Noah asked politely, walking around and pulling Archius off Nathaniel.

Archius nodded, glancing over at the other group. Kazuki was now talking to his three bodyguards. Cyrus nodded, walking over towards Eliza… Václavos started walking over to him… Kazuki had to have done this on purpose, right? One out of three chances and they got the fucking retard, Archius thought. And Nihara? She stayed with Kazuki.

"Oh fuck me…" Archius prodded at Noah. He'll need to put up some sort of performance.

Noah glanced over at Václavos, walking towards the group. Archius could see a few fire-vials hidden underneath the guard's blazer, hooked up to the gloves that he wore.

"Who's he?" Noah asked.

"No clue…" Archius lied, winking a secret message to Václavos with a single eye. 'ANON.'

Yuki glanced back towards Václavos. "Oh! So you're the person that Kazu has protecting us?" she asked.

Václavos nodded frantically. "Yep, I'm the one left with a group of dejects, it seems," he muttered. He glanced off to the side, looking back towards Nihara. Too obvious, Archius thought. Out of the three of Kaz's personal guards, Václavos seemed the weakest link, the chink in the armour.

"You drink?" Archius asked.

Václavos nodded slowly. "Not too much, I get shouted at when I get drunk…"

Archius did his best to hold back his retort, avoiding the fact that Václavos is a hopeless romantic in all regards, a drunken hopeless romantic.

"Good enough for me!" Yuki shouted, grabbing onto Nathan's arm, dragging him away. "For alcohol we stand by!"

Noah chuckled at her outburst, him and Archius following along. Václavos trailed behind them, glancing back towards Nihara and Cyrus. "You a friend of Yuki's?" Noah asked Archius.

"Something like that, guess I'm a friend of everyone?" Archius replied, hiding his true intents. Things have just gotten started and he has high hopes for what Noah has to offer him.

Archius turned back to Václavos, glaring at him. He avoided it… Tch. Pathetically weak, he thought.

∗ ∗ ∗

Eliza watched as Archius' group left. She turned towards Chloé and Kazuki, then over at the two bodyguards standing behind him, suited up in black and arms crossed. "Uh… is this necessary?" Eliza asked.

Kazuki nodded. "Who knows if there'll be a laundry list of snipers ready to take any of us out?"

She couldn't tell if he was sarcastic about that remark or not, though she gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, they won't get in our way, right?" Chloé asked, in between Eliza and Kazuki's shoulders, before she started to walk off. The two followed her out into the shopping centre section of the Ball Palace.

It was a complex beyond comprehension, stories upon stories up and down.

"I know a few good places to shop at," said Chloé. "Gotta get my parents souvenirs, how about you two, you guys down for that?"

Souvenirs? Absolutely! Now that Eliza thinks about it, she'll want to get a few things for her friends back on Anagora, especially a few of the operatives. Though she was worried that Quinn would steal all of it… oof…

"Righty, sounds good, Kaz?" Eliza turned to Kazuki.

He nodded. "Workplace colleagues will be asking me for things. Better to get it for them now," he said. It was the exact thing that Eliza had thought and she was surprised that he'd even consider it! Though given their closeness, that must be a given.

Eliza took a gander, looking around. It still amazed her that this section is only a fragment of the Ball Palace's true interior, a master's landscape built as a second home for the galaxy's most meritous.

Chloé was looking through a holographic map. "Anywhere in particular?" she asked, leaning against Kazuki for a moment.

It dragged Eliza's ire for but a moment, as she walked up beside Kazuki. The Contract-Breaker's her tool… she thought in a slightly tipsy mood. The whispers fluttered away in her mind, as she tugged him slightly off Chloé. He moved without question.

"Uh… Synthia, you have a list, right?"

'You are… correct!' Synthia said, projecting herself onto Chloé's arm as she showed a laundry list of shops to go to, a vibrant collage of names. 'I can find us the most effective walking path for us to get as much in the smallest time possible.'.'

Eliza looked at Kazuki, only for him to be looking behind her. She turned to see what had him so interested. A person was walking up to them, dressed in a suit and with the seal of the Charelota family on his breast pocket.

"Oh?" Eliza pondered as Kazuki took a step forward. She looked to him, prepared for anything. "It's Fer-Charelota's messenger, I believe we wishes to speak to us."

"He could have used Hiccup. If the message is a bullet to the head, I'll make sure it's their head," Kazuki snapped.

Chloé looked up from placing down locations. "What's going wrong, y'all good?" she asked.

Eliza glanced back to her. "Yeah? I think so."

The man stopped in front of Eliza and Kazuki, giving Kazuki a dismissive glance before introducing himself. "Miss Celeste-Delmara, I presume?"

Eliza glanced towards Kazuki, seeing that he was ready to spring into action. She waved him back, calming his actions for a moment. He nodded, walking back towards Chloé.

Eliza turned back to the man, her own brooch shining. "May I help you?" she asked.

An inquisitive eye brought her brooch to his attention. He cleared his throat. "The Marquis Gilbera Fer-Charelota has requested for your audience on the matter of your plans."

"Oh? So you know what his plans are?" Eliza inquired.

He shook his head. "I am afraid I am unaware."

Eliza glanced over her shoulder, seeing Synthia craft a massive path along several floors of the shopping centre on Chloé's map. It was dozens of colourful lines, watched over by Kazuki.

The two bodyguards behind him glanced towards Eliza, the shorter one, that Eliza recognised as Nihara - even under the shades - tapped him on the arm. "Kazuki, Fer-Charelota is calling."

"Ah," the messenger interjected, looking at Kazuki. "Fer-Charelota has specifically requested that HE does not attend this meeting."

Eliza looked back towards the messenger, then at Kazuki. Despite what she expected, he simply nodded. "Alright, but he said nothing about guards." He patted the large, tall man behind him, Cyrus.

Cyrus walked over to Eliza, towering about both her and the messenger.

"Ma'am," said Cyrus. "I have been tasked with your protection. Fret not, as long as I stand, you'll be safe."

She nodded. "Why, thank you!" she said. She then glanced over back at Kaz and Chloé. "Can you two go through my list as well?"

"Huh? No! We can do shopping later," Chloé said. "It isn't fun when it's just you and me, plus I don't want any of those journalists crawling around to get the wrong idea."

Oh yeah, there were a few of those people around, Eliza thought. She looked up to one of the floors above, seeing someone wearing a 'PRESS' armband sipping on some coffee. They had a drone camera in one hand. "Makes sense," said Kazuki, walking off with Nihara.

Hmm, if she'd have a bodyguard, she would have preferred Nihara. Even if she was a bit aggressive to Claire, she was most definitely an interesting person. Cyrus, on the other hand? Did Kazuki trust her that much to be overseen by HIS personal squared bodyguard?

"Sorry. I must protest," the messenger said.

Kazuki spoke back without even looking. "Then protest harder, nothing will change. Cyrus stays with her," he said, disappearing into the crowd.

Synthia projected herself back onto Eliza's shoulder.

'A meeting with the Marquis? My, you have come far in this galaxy,' remarked Synthia, patting Eliza on the head.

Eliza nodded, feeling warm at the artificial tutor's doting of her, she then turned to Chloé.

She asked, "I'll be seeing you, then?"

"I guess so," Eliza said. "You want to meet up later?"

Chloé shrugged. "Deal with your thing for now, call me after you're done, got it?"

Eliza nodded, as Chloé turned and walked away.

"Take care, Lizzie," she said.

"And you!" Eliza shouted back towards her, as she waved back at her. She could slowly hear the messenger quietly sighing. Was something wrong? Cyrus merely stood over him… "Uh… is something the matter?"

He shook his head, maintaining his composure, as Eliza glanced upwards. Cyrus was even taller than Archius.

"No," said the messenger. "Let's not keep him waiting, shall we?"

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