Playing With Fire

It had been a bit since the chaos that had transpired recently. The group of six had reached the house since then and were quickly nearing the top where Zackary awaited them. Azami had been rather quiet since the dispute regarding YumiAmi. She concealed it well, but she was feeling anxious as she drew closer and closer to the top. Regardless, she was sure she wasn't the only one worried about things to come. This makeshift alliance was fragile -- Shunnosuke's dissent had proven that much. Whatever would transpire during this meeting would almost certainly make or break the group's unity and with it would come either a useful ally or a powerful foe in the form of Zackary.

Time seemed to fly by and soon enough they'd reach the area the crime lord was located at. It was time to get some answers.

It was getting unbearably quiet as they went up. Yamato-Takeru stayed quiet for now, as if going with the flow while Phalanx dangled in his grip. Not only that, they had to talk with a man who was clearly at an advantage here. Joshua loathed to go up there, but he couldn't possibly go anywhere else now. They had to find Rinna, they have to. Not only that, there were questions that needed to be answered. He only hoped Zachary wasn't going to completely talk in riddles or speak half-truths. Hell, being a criminal druglord, the Nyarlathotep Child wouldn't be surprised.


"What do you think, Simon?" Joshua slowed down his pace to match his while his eyes continued to look forward, "Do you think that red-head is Ananke?"

It was a question that needed answering after seeing Analee. They had fought the Primordials together two years ago and to hear them coming back was concerning. Whatever the answer was, Joshua would still continue to keep on walking up.

The steam rising from Phalanx's body would eventually cease and the android snapped back to life. He found himself in the arms of some... white, blurry thing. After focusing his lenses, and wiping off the steamy residue from the glassy surface, he was greeted with the face of Yamato Takeru silently hovering behind it's master. He took a look at his surroundings for a moment, not really moving around too much as his body slowly regained any sense of movement. "Ugh... That's one time too many that I've overheated..." The android eventually said, his voice sounding very tired and worn out... almost as if he had been in a deep slumber for a good 12 hours. He felt like absolute shit, to say the least. He knew this was only temporary, and the stiffness in his joints would wear off in due time. He gave the persona a signal to let him down on his feet once again. A little wobbly at first, Phalanx managed to walk up to Joshua, giving him a tired smile.


They were walking at a rather comfortable pace, towards whom he could only assume to be the one and only Zachary Dunbar, Azores' largest crime boss. The man who was the reason Joshua was here, he guessed. Otherwise, why even bother going here? Phalanx himself wanted answers as well... but he was moreso here to protect his new... "Investments" so to speak. Azami and Joshua could prove useful to him in the long run, and right now, having a common goal seemed to only reinforce his will to protect the young kid. After all, hadn't he just done the same for Phalanx? He could've just left the android to his own devices, and yet...

The group finally reached their destination, but it seemed they weren't alone. That boy from before -- Adiyna, was it? He was there too it seemed. She had expected fighting to break out between him and Zackary, but it seemed that for the moment the two had some sort of cease-fire going on. "We took care of your Yumi problem. She's not a threat to you anymore. She'd pause and look back at Shunnosuke, Lewis, and Simon with visible scorn before refocusing her gaze on Adiyna. "...well, for the moment anyway. If she ends up threatening it again then you know who to blame." Following that remark, she'd turn her attention to the man of the hour and nod at him. "Any light you can shed on this situation is welcome. I know I have more than my fair share of questions."

"For starters, how did Analee know my name? She said something about you wanting to meet me specifically. Were you the one who gave it to her? And if so, how'd you go about acquiring it?"

"If she is him, I'm confused as hell as to why she isn't trying to rip out my intestines for that time two years ago," Joshua muttered back to Simon.

He had remembered the taunting he made at the Primordial God--or was it Goddess now? Either case, it was strange that she protected him temporarily. And he didn't really like where any of this was going. But soon they would arrive, not giving Joshua much time to consider the situation more.

He noticed that Phalanx had finally recovered. With a nod towards the Persona, Yamato-Takeru let go of the ASSW. Joshua gave him a hand if he needed help. He figured if the guy wasn't steaming anymore, it should be safe to touch.


As they talked for a bit, they would finally arrive. Only Zachary and Adiyna were there. The others weren't present and Joshua immediately tried to scan around the room for anything suspicious. They were in the home territory of a criminal drug lord. Everyone had a reason to be cautious. He would listen in the conversation as he continued to look around his surroundings with a careful and diligent eye.

But the squabble between Shunnosuke and Azami got his attention.

"Now's not the time for this shit," he grit out in annoyance, "Let's stay on topic, alright?"

Having a fight right now was clearly not the best thing to happen at this very moment. This was their chance for some clarity and he wasn't going to let these people fuck it up. When they both stopped, he nodded at Zachary to start answering Azami.

Human Strengths:

"The Name's Phalanx. An Anti-shadow Suppression weapon made by SE.RA.PH Industries." The android replied casually, as they all walked towards their supposed destination. "Once this is all over, I'd like to speak with you... and the other girl." Moreso for planning's sake than anything. Now that they were all roped in this, might as well get some sort of plan in motion, no? It was pointless running around with no sort of goal or plan in mind, and hope it would do something. They needed to be organized...

Phalanx was definetely not a fan of the choice of words from either Azami or Shun... but he didn't bother listening to them anymore here. If they wanted to bicker like two kids about who did the wrong thing when there were bigger things in need of attention, then that was their issue. Not his. "I take it you know the cause of these... things appearing...?" Phalanx asked Zachary, shooting a glance up at the demons floating ominously above their heads. Not that he was going to complain. They did a great job causing chaos to such an extent that his work here would pretty much be covered by them...

"Azami. My name's Azami." The Wild Card would respond to Phalanx following his labeling of her as "the other girl." The remark could potentially come off as one made out of annoyance or anger, but it wasn't intended to be such and her tone would convey none of those feelings. It was simply an introduction: that was all.  

Azami was about to reply to Shunnosuke, but before she could Joshua intervened as the voice of reason. With a sigh, she'd nod at him and turn her focus to the discussion at hand. While that high-and-mighty attitude of Shun's pissed her off, there was no point in wasting time bickering when it could instead be spent gathering valuable information. So, for the moment at least, she'd try to forget about the boy's presence there and would instead devote her mind to prying as much information out of Zackary as humanely possible. "And what exactly was it they told you about me? I doubt my name alone was enough to pique your interest." She'd ask the crime lord before pausing briefly with a contemplative expression covering her face.

"You said that one of the thirteen is controlling these 'Demons.' Do you know their name? Their location? As for Isla, you obviously don't see eye-to-eye with her. What do you think her true goal is? Do you believe she's working with one of the parasites from the Other Worlds?" Azami would stop her line of questioning following this. She didn't want to overwhelm Zackary and she was sure that the others had more to ask him about as well.

Before they had arrived to Zachary's place, Joshua raised an eyebrow at the introduction. Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon and SE.RA.PH industries? He has never heard of them before. Great, more things interested in him. As if Analee wasn't trouble enough. At best, he only gave Phalanx a nod to show he was willing to hear him out later.


Now Joshua found himself stopping Shunnosuke and Azami for now, which they thankfully did to start questioning and getting some answers. Joshua listened for a while. It was a lot of information to take in, but he did his best to remember. But his attention was dragged with Zachary's thanks and remark.

"Well, you did say one at a time. I didn't want to overload you with everyone else. But sure, I'll start. I have a few things I want to know anyway," Joshua shrugged at him and then started to look at him more seriously, "For starters, Analee ...Is she Ananke? One of the Primordials that we fucked up two years ago at the school? Because right now, you aren't exactly trustworthy with your criminal record and for getting chummy with these... demons. And for someone who's trying to fight for the good of Standasen, it sure wouldn't look good if you allied with the same monsters that terrorized the Stadium two years ago."

Zachary was a criminal drug lord with an army of thugs so violent that even the inept Azores Police couldn't do anything about it. Out of everyone in the islands, he would be the last person anyone would want to turn their back on. The Nyarlathotep Child waited for his answer to give him some time to get to him and to everyone else. Joshua needed to know since this worried him, but he hid it behind with a composed face. Plus, it would tell him how much he can trust this man, not that he would trust him so easily anyway. But while he was waiting, he looked towards Adiyna. He was here for another reason, but he might as well get some information from this one first.


It was a demand that had to be answered, especially when Joshua was sounding pretty angry here. Yet, he kept his nerve mostly intact. He didn't want to get involved in this supernatural shitstorm. For people that touted themselves as protectors, they seemed to be doing a completely botched job right now with all the demons swarming around in the Azores. It was hard to even trust either Zachary or Adiyna right now. But for now they are his only source of information now.

"Also, where the hell does Rinna fit in all of this?" Joshua returned his glance at Zackary, "You said she was alive as of half a year ago. What was she doing at that time?"

His gut still told him that Rinna had some involvement in all of this. To hear that she was around six months ago felt as if she had plans for something. There had to be a connection somewhere. Then he heard something about a helper. It piqued his interest there.


But just as he asked, his whole view quivered and the demons above were becoming erratic.

"What the fuck is going o--" he cursed and started to look out towards where the shaking was coming from just to let his jaw drop, "WHAT IN THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!"

"Hm? Azami? Alright then, miss." He nodded towards the wild card. So that's her name, huh... Alright then. The android made a mental note to remember this afterwards. They'd have to talk anyway once this meeting was over and done with.

Zachary's threat against Shun got his attention somewhat. Yeah, this guy meant buissness, he could already tell by the tone of his voice, and how confident he looked. As to why this Lune person was here, he'd like answers on that as well. But... there was something in paticular which stood out to him as in need of answers.


It was a rather simple question really, and he would've asked more if it wasn't for the sudden rumble and the loud outburst from Joshua. "?!" The sight was... unlike anything he'd ever seen... That creature was huge... From Penecia too, from what he could see from here. "Jesus christ..."