[SS] District 15: Putting an End to Wanderlust

«Become my tour guide~»

"...Okay?"

Faced with the girl's unexpected request, there was no anger to be felt, only astonishment. Under different circumstances he may have found Birdway's actions demeaning, but the sudden shift in tone had caught him by surprise. As such, his response to her sudden request was far from his most creative. In the end, all he managed was a somewhat hurried single word response after a pause that was maybe a half beat too long.

It didn't take too much longer for him to get back into gear, though. Since someone of such high standing had sought him out specifically, it was for the best that he didn't get too optimistic about his chances if he were to try and refuse her. In that case, while she might just lose interest and walk off, it was at least as likely that she would resort to means far less civilized than the ones she was employing currently in order to commandeer his assistance.

Now that he had ended up as a docent, he may as well commit himself to the role. There was no telling when he would be freed from it, after all. But to do that, he'd need more information than he had on hand. He couldn't guide her anywhere if he didn't know where it was that she wanted to go, after all. After clearing his throat, and his head with it, he voiced his question.

"And where is it you wish to be lead?"

The red haired blood mage panted lightly, as his life was spared. Yes. Spared. It's only word that matched the situation. He did not escape as whatever was inside could've thrown him into oblivion, never to be seen again. He wanted to say that he made a mistake, but who would expect such a thing in one room. Such immense power and malice he felt, creeping up his spine like vines on a concrete wall. "This is bad..." Renavin muttered lowly, as he stared at the door, feeling that source of power, lunging at him. Or rather passed him. It's attention was focused elsewhere, like a predator seeking a more bountiful meal.

Renavin didn't have the means nor the evidence to call in Necessarius for this, as the politics between them and Academy City are very much like a glass cannon. Powerful, but fragile. He needed to investigate further. He felt this strange ominous presence was focusing right in the middle of the city itself. He called upon his crows to fly out around the city, to look for any suspicious activity, while sending three over the city skylines. "This could be way bigger than I expected..." The attack dog pondered, as he adjusted his cloak, and put a hood on just for safety precautions. "Haaaa...Let's get to work~."

«At a party what is the most enjoyable spot? Or at a concert? Or maybe during a competition? You know don’t you?»

As she spoke, Birdway began waving her arms around like a little girl who was generating excitement in anticipation of some great event. Those motions, those gestures, and those behaviours were all ones that people would find naturally fit her appearance, and no one would think there was any manner of guile beneath the surface. But having previously seen the imperious manner with which she had disposed of the agents of Those Who Seek the Truth, Jack couldn't see it is as anything but an elaborate performance. Nothing but a thin veneer of childishness to hide her true nature. Given her age, it was entirely possible that she had retained some features of personality more fitting to her appearance than the more incongruous ones he had witnessed, but he highly doubted that what he was witnessing here and now were them. So he simply stood his ground, took in the performance for what it was, and awaited the inevitable end.

«Those Who Seek the Truth are cabal specializing in large scale rituals. Wouldn’t think what they are doing is just some weekend trip? I want to see whatever show they are trying to give from the first row, so that’s where we are headed, yes Mr. tour guide?»

And his patience was rewarded handsomely.

"The front row, hm? I do hope you'll forgive my incompetence, milady, but it may take a bit of travelling to locate the venue. While I am indeed a former member of that cabal, it has several years since I was last privy to their plans. So I am afraid I cannot say exactly where they are basing themselves at this point in time."

It was a sham, all of it. From the formal language to his respectful attitude, not even the smallest glimmer of his true thoughts showed through. Not the slightest hint of his desire to be done with this, nor even the tiniest shred of sarcasm. She had given him a wonderful show of a innocent child, so he would reciprocate with a performance of an obliging gentleman. All while faithfully following the orders of the little tyrant he'd found himself unwillingly employed by, of course.

"Well, despite my lack of information, they are not the kind to change much in the period of just a few years, so I can make an educated guess or two. As a group, they have a certain fondness for rituals involving the world tree, Yggdrasil, and the wells about it, so I would recommend investigating buildings of extreme height with some relation to water."

"I honestly wish I could have helped more, but I don't have much to go on, you see. Even a little bit of info would have gone a long way, but without anything at all to base so much as a hypothesis on, there's not much I can do. It's really a pity, since there were several prime sources of information here just now, but I can't find hide nor tail of them... I wonder what could have happened?"

He had kept up the act perfectly until that point, but just as Birdway had before him, he let his true nature shine through at the very end. It was only a hint, simply a single sardonic jab at how the young girl had inadvertently ramped up the level of difficulty for herself, but he just couldn't help himself. Now, how would the young tyrant react...?