Standard Mission: Robin Wind and his Merry Menaces

Cleo and Nihility received the pings to their gauntlets, letting them know they had a new mission. As the two Vanguards reached the front gate to set out for the village they'd been assigned, they saw a wagon positioned by the gate. A young man leaned out and wave, a smile stretched across his face.

"Yo!" he said in greeting. "Name's Jack. You guys are the Vanguards heading out to those raided villages, right? I'm heading out that way too to deliver these supplies to the affected villages. Hop in!"

When he caught sight of Nihility, he blushed and scooted over in the front.

"Plenty of room up here, Miss!" he said.

Meanwhile, Cleo was left to climb into the wagon, which was packed with food and supplies and didn't leave much room to stretch out.

It was a new dawn, a new day, but same old life for Nihility and surprisingly she was feeling good. Blinking her eyes, the young lady sat up and looked at the window on her left.

"Oh, Hi!" Shoggoth greeted her partner while comfortably perched on the window sill and her hand-dipped into a box.

"I should thank that summoner friend of yours. These really are quite neat."

Unlike Nihility's earlier display at the dinner, the purple demon was savouring a single bead at a time.


"Err... yeah, he made those for you." Nihility confirmed that those pearls really were for her demon partner.

Suddenly she came to realize what felt off today morning. "Wait, so, you had been munching on those all this time instead of leeching off me? Is that why I feel more energetic and pumped-up this morning?" She questioned the demon by the window as she easily got herself out of the bed.


Shoggoth plopped away from the window, closed the pill-box and placed it into the drawer.

"Don't get your hopes up too high, I still prefer your Maga over any other living being, but your friend took the effort to do this to help you, so that is the only reason I am letting you off. Don't forget, the more I suck you dry, the more Maga you generate back..." Nihility's demon partner sludged over to the vanguard gauntlet, "We are in a mutually beneficial contract. The moment that ceases, you are of no use to me... other than a bag of meat, bones, and Maga, just like your friend's box." the Yellow-eyes Demon ended coldly before creeping up Nihility's left arm and seeping into the gauntlet.


Nihility stood rooted to her spot, the morning's warmth in the room sucked away and being replaced with an icy cold chill leading to sweat droplets forming on her forehead.

"Wh..what...?" her voice quivering, feeling like her energy had just left her, the shocked girl's knees buckled and she dropped back onto the edge of the bed.


It took her a minute to recover from the demon's words. Nihility shakingly stood up and reached for the small towel on the bedside table to wipe the perspiration off. Her heart was still beating in her mouth at that point but she pushed it down. Taking some fresh clothes out of the dresser, Nihility silently walked over to the Bathrooms to wash away her anxiety and relax under a warm shower.

~~~~~~
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After returning back to her room, Nihility went for the candy box Vayu had gifted her. She plopped one and rolled it around in her mouth, but it no longer had that sweet flavour and the effect as last night's party. She felt queazy in the stomach and ended up spitting the candy out into the trash bin.

~~~~~~
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The Vanguard Gauntlet blipped, signalling a message that turned out to be a new mission. Nihility swiped right and continued walking. She soon reached the wagon waiting for her and she noticed Cleo was there as well.

The stranger offered her a seat next to him. Nihility gave him a cold stare but after a moment's pause, she climbed up and sat up straight. It didn't take long for her to tense up. The queasiness was starting to return or maybe it had never really left, but being in proximity of Jack, his aura, it sent a chill up her spine. He acted so welcomingly and hospitable. He definitely must be having ulterior motives, nefarious in nature. Nihility was not going to have it anymore. It was always simpler when she was alone.

"On second thoughts, I rather not."

Nihility tapped the board behind her with the back of her knuckles. "Cleo. Please switch with me." She requested the Vanguard who wasn't a stranger like Jack, plus this would let her be distanced from physical contact.

- Cleo -

Cleo regarded the young man with some reservation. It was strange to see a supplier traveling alone these days. If he could afford to hire Vanguards for a single wagon, then the contents must be fairly lucrative.

"Cleo." He responded to Jack's greeting, briefly shaking the man's hand before following Jack's gaze to see that Nihility would apparently also be joining them. This woman was still a mystery to Cleo. If he were to describe her only from appearance, he might go with "beautiful disaster". Despite her calm demeanor, she always seemed harried by some unknown force. Given what he'd seen of her demon, it was possible that might be the cause, but it wasn't Cleo's place to pry.

Jack offered her the other seat on the front. So, Cleo shrugged and made his way around to the back. While he was still seeking out a comfortable spot to take up residence for the journey (there was a lumpy sack of something that didn't look too uncomfortable), Nihility requested to swap places.

Cleo glanced at the wagon again. "I wouldn't force a lady to sit amongst all of that for the journey." He gestured to the pile of goods. "Are you sure you don't want to sit up front? Or maybe you'd prefer to use me as a cushion? We wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable, after all."

Jack smiled as Nihility climbed up onto the seat beside him, then cracked the reins to get the horses moving. Once they got on course, he turned to Nihility to take, a grin plastered on his face, when she abruptly turned away.

"On second thoughts, I rather not."

Jack blinked, his smile frozen on his face as Nihility tapped the board behind her with the back of her knuckles and asked the other Vanguard to switch with her. The man was bold as brass, offering to let her sit on him as a cushion, but she seemed to silently veto this and moved into the back, kicking him up front to sit beside Jack.

Jack, agonized smile still cemented onto his face, turned his head back to the road and let them fall into uncomfortable silence for several minutes.

"S-so..." be began again when his nerve had returned. "You two been Vanguards long? I thought about becoming one after my dad died. Demon attack, you know." He shrugged and hooked a thumb toward the shovel perched behind him. "But I never did get the hang of combat. I'm more suited to the earth. And it keeps my mom at ease. I don't know what she'd do if she lost both of us."

He looked over at Cleo and nudged his knee.

"You got family in Chaldea?"

- Cleo -

Cleo shrugged as he sank onto the bench beside Jack. "Some women are just complicated." He mused as they got underway, the expression on his face clearly showing that the rejection hadn't affected him at all.

It was several long moments later before Jack responded, but the silence didn't bother Cleo either. Sometimes, it was good to just be alone with your thoughts.

"I don't know about Nihility." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the woman in the wagon, "We only met about a month ago. So, it's possible that she's been at this a little longer than I have."

"As for me, it feels like I've spent a lot more time preparing to be a Vanguard than actually being one." Cleo held his palm in front of him, flexing his fingers a couple times. It was sometimes difficult to remember that they were actually new to this job. "The combat is comfortable for me though. I've spent so much training to use these, it feels like they're a part of my body." Cleo ran his other hand over the hilt of the katana at his hip.

"It's good that you're making sure to consider your mother's feelings." Cleo sighed, leaning back into the side of the wagon behind him. "Be sure to never forget that. There are some out there that would give almost anything to hold their family close again. It's encouraging to see that some people haven't lost sight of what's really important."

Was it hypocritical of Cleo to think of it that way? Probably, but he couldn't change the past, and the less of an imprint that he made on his mother's future, the happier she'd have the opportunity to be. He couldn't take that away from her, not after all this time. That would be selfish.

Jack smiled as Cleo ran a hand over his katana hilt. "Yeah, you seem like you know your way around a sword."

When Cleo avoided his question about family in Chaldea, his smile faded. His words, his posture... it was clear he was hiding family baggage of his own.

"Right," Jack said quietly. "We only have so much time on this earth. Gotta make the most of it with the people who matter."

The rest of the ride went on in mostly silence. Nihility was far from talkative, and Cleo seemed lost in his own thoughts. When they reached the village, Jack seemed eager to let them off.

"Gotta make my rounds to drop off these supplies," he said, waving. "Maybe I'll catch up with you later."

As the wagon moved off, Nihility and Cleo looked around the village, a quaint and quiet collection of cottages and market stalls. A young woman was handing sweets to a little boy, who beamed at her and waddled off, sucking happily on it.

"Hello," she said, smiling as she caught site of them. "You're Vanguards, right? I heard a few were supposed to be arriving."

Spoiler:

The ride was bumpy and silent for the most part. Nihility shifted a bit on the bag of produce she was using as a cushion to find a more comfortable posture. The prolonged silence kept drifting her mind over to the morning encounter with Shoggoth and even further back to all her interactions with her demon partner. It was safe to say that there seemed to be more aggressive memories than those filled with fun and love. Sure, thinking back, she had a rough life, but that shouldn't justify a "friend" to use her as such.

"Why do I let her treat me like this? What am I to her? What am I to myself?" Nihility nervously bit her lips as she started to tread deeper onto the road of despair.

"You're weak." A sinister sounding voice echoed within the deep recesses of her mind, though not strong enough to make Nihility focus on it.


The Wagon finally halted with a jolt that let the young woman snap back into the world out of her tortured mind. Nihility crawled out of the back to firmly land onto the road. She looked around the village with a vacant look. A young boy waddled off while sucking on a candy given by a young blonde woman in a matching coloured skirt. Upon being asked if they were Vanguards sent over to their village, Nihility simply nodded. Her gaze drifted over to the farming tools stuck around in the field. A Scythe in the distance caught her attention.

"Maybe it would be better if someone reaped my soul." Her mind once again started to drift off to dangerous thoughts.

"What makes you think it already isn't?" "Kehkehkee~" Demonic laughter trailed off in the back of her mind.

- Cleo -

After the long silence, Cleo wasn't exactly opposed to parting ways with Jack, but he did feel bad about shutting the young man down. Unfortunately, Cleo's family life wasn't exactly something for public consumption.

"Stay safe." Cleo said, offering Jack a handshake before he got off the wagon. "If we're done by the time you head back to the city, we'd love to catch another ride. Maybe you'll get a second shot at convincing Nihility to ride with you and I can stretch out in the wagon."

As the wagon pulled away, he turned to towards the village, inhaling the fresh air. In the city, the air tasted stale sometimes. It hadn't bothered him before becoming a Vanguard, but the more time he spent outside the walls, the more Cleo appreciated the sights, sounds, and even smells of nature around him.

"Well, hello, miss." Cleo grinned at the woman that had greeted them as Vanguards. "You're very perceptive."

He held out a hand, but rather than shaking hers when she offered it in return, Cleo brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. To his surprise, it smelled and tasted like freshly turned soil. "I'm Cleo, and this is my associate, Nihility." He gestured to the other Vanguard without releasing the woman's hand.

"If it's not an inconvenience for you, perhaps you could point us in the direction of the town watch? We need to get some additional information about the job we've been requested for."

The young woman blinked in surprise as Cleo kissed her hand, then laughed slightly. "How about that... Never had a fella kiss my hand before. I'm Tamara. It's nice to meet you."

She glanced at Nihility, who seemed very distracted, then turned her attention to Cleo.

"Town watch, well..." She shifted slightly. "I guess you could call it that. Follow me then."

She led Cleo and Nihility across the village, unaware of the small figure peering out from behind a nearby barrel, the sweet she'd given him still in his mouth.

-------------------------

Tamara stopped in front of a small, wooden structure that might charitably be called a watchtower. An old man slept in a chair by the ladder, a shabby spear leaning against his shoulder.

"Rufus," Tamara sighed, nudged his chair.

"Eh, what?" The old man gave a start and snatched up his spear, pointing the blunt end at them. "Oh, Tamara. Don't you know better than to startle a guard on watch? Get yourself hurt that way!"

"Right," she mused, staring at the wooden end. "Where are Benji and Boggs?"

Rufus twitched his grey mustache and pointed up at the tower, where the two identical dirty-blonde heads peered out.

"What do you want?" they said. "Can't you see we're on duty?"

"We have Vanguards from Chaldea here," Tamara told them. "They want to talk to you all."

Rufus peered at Cleo and Nihility as the twins dropped down the ladder and stood beside Tamara, just an inch shy of her height.

"Just you two?" Benji said, squinting. "I thought Vanguards would be... older."

Tamara elbowed him with a glare.

"Here about the marauders, huh?" Boggs asked. "Well, no need. If they're dumb enough to try this village, we'll stop them."

Tamara shook her head.

The female Vanguard followed the two people in front of her to their destination where they met a trio of interesting characters. One of the twins said that they didn't need the outside assistance and they could stop the marauders on their own.

Nihility found herself a table and leaned on the edge. "Well, that just makes our job easier. We'll sit back and relax while you go ahead and stop them all on your own." resting her palms on the surface behind her, Nihility nudged her head towards the area ahead of the watchtower, "Just scream out for our help when you are close to dying out there and we'll drop by to assist." The female vanguard shrugged her shoulders and ended with. "I mean, who cares about the saying, more the merrier and strength in numbers, right."

She might have sounded a tad bit sarcastic, but somehow Nihility was feeling as if it was okay to be cold towards everything near her and she simply didn't care how others might feel.

- Cleo -

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tamara.” Cleo released her hand, only to place his palm in the center of her back while they walked through town. “And, if you’d like to discuss other pleasures later, I’m sure we could work something out.”

He raised an eyebrow at the aging man who brandished a spear at Tamara. Clearly, this guy was well past his prime, and if Cleo had to guess, he was probably a retired farmer, not a career soldier. His opinion of the town guard didn’t improve much with the arrival of the twins. They seemed more alert, at least, but from the way they carried themselves, it was pretty obvious to Cleo that they were all talk. It might work on a disorderly drunk or two, but any real threat to the town wouldn’t think twice about them.

Before he could comment, Nihility opened her mouth, and now Cleo was wondering if this was how Bastion felt all the time. Did none of their Vanguard squad know how to communicate with people?

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Cleo turned to Tamara. “Tamara, dear, thank you for showing us the way. It looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me here. So, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing before.” He took her hand again, raising it once more to his lips. “If you’d like to explore any other paths while I’m in town, you know where to find me.” Cleo gave her a wink and released her hand to turn back towards the others.

“Kitten.”

The air beside him shifted as Nekomata stepped through the portal. She gave Tamara a brief, cold look before turning her frosty expression towards the twins. “Lovely. A couple of cubs that like to roar.” He could hardly disagree with her assessment.

“Why don’t you two show her your normal routine.” Cleo didn’t phrase it as a question. Nekomata would be able to determine plenty from the interaction, and he needed to have a little chat with Nihility. She’d been even more distant than usual since leaving town, and Cleo needed her to have her head in the game.

Benji and Boggs glared at Nihility, but the older Rufus merely cocked his head in bewilderment and muttered, "Eh??"

Tamara frowned at Nihility. She could understand the Vanguard's frustration, but that was taking it a little far. When Cleo gave her the out to leave, she hesitated a few moments, unsure whether it was best to leave them alone. But when Nekomata arrived, she gave an uneasy nod and walked off.

Benji and Boggs watched her go, then turned to turned to Cleo.

"We don't have to answer to you," Benji said, folding his arms.

"C'mon." Boggs elbowed him. "Why not? Teaching these Chaldea upstarts might not be a bad idea."

Benji frowned skeptically, but finally shrugged. "All right. Let's do it."

The two jumped to attention quickly enough, but it was obvious from their stances that they were amateurs. With a cry, they both charged forward, Boggs with a bastard sword raised and Benji with a spear pointed.

From a distance, a small figure peered out from behind a barrel, watching them all.

- Cleo -

At first, it seemed like the twins would cause more problems. While it was true that they weren’t required to answer to Cleo, they were required to cooperate with Vanguard operations. Who was in charge of that cooperation was open to interpretation. Thankfully, they assumed a sloppy form of attention, and Cleo turned  his own attention towards Nihility. A moment later, there was yelling from the direction of the twins, but Cleo ignored it. Nekomata could handle this sort of thing.

“While I can appreciate your morbid sense of humor, I’m not so certain that it will go over well with the locals.” Cleo said with a lopsided grin. “Maybe you can try toning it down just a bit? We are guests here, after all, even if not entirely welcome ones.”

He took a moment to look the woman over. She always seemed disheveled, but since they’d left Chaldea, she’d been acting even more unhinged than usual. “Is something bothering you? Anything we need to talk about?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Nekomata -

As the boys charged towards Cleo, Nekomata rolled her eyes. Obviously, they couldn’t just show her their daily guard routine. They had to assume that Cleo meant their combat prowess, or lack thereof, as it may be.

In the confined space of the guardhouse, there weren’t a lot of paths that the boys could take, which made their movements even more obvious than they already were. She could easily disable them with magic, but after watching Cleo flirt with another woman, she welcomed the outlet for her pent-up annoyance.

She started with Boggs, the one holding his sword over his head. With the ceiling above them, he wouldn’t be able to effectively leverage a downwards swing. Running her tongue over her upper lip, she slowly stalked forward, swaying with each step, making her motions more difficult to visually follow. It was only at the moment before he would swing the sword that she lunged forward, using her forearm to block the swing at Boggs’ elbows, which pinned his sword against the ceiling over his head.

Since it occupied both hands, it was easy enough for her to snake her way around him, wrapping one arm around Boggs’ biceps to pin them to either side of his head. She planted the other in the small of his back, keeping him off balance.

Now the spear was the issue. With a flick of her ankle, Nekomata slid one of Boggs’ legs to the side, allowing her to spin them in place. The spear passed between their bodies, and that’s when she removed her planted palm, capturing the shaft of it between Boggs’ back and her chest. A continuation of the spin ripped the spear from Benji’s hands and put Boggs between them, sword still raised over his head and pinned against the ceiling.

“Oh my. I seem to have captured a little mouse. I wonder, what should I do with you now, little mouse?” She purred into Boggs’ ear, flexing the claws of her free hand in front of his face. Those claws retracted as she moved that hand to his ribs and started tickling him.

Nihility returned the twins glares back with her own cold and soulless gaze which continued to follow them as they got manhandled by Cleo's cat-lady friend. Watching them be put into their place felt somewhat satisfying.

"Hehheh..." a low snicker escaped her pursed-lips.

Nihility shut her eyelids and took in a deep breath and slowly let it out with her lips still pursed tight. When she reopened, some colour seemed to return to her previously glazed eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Nihility blinked and averted her head to focus on Cleo.

"I'll keep myself in check. I can't let Shoggoth push me around all the time." she looked over at the Vanguard gauntlet on her left arm and ran her hand over it. "It's just that sometimes I forget that she spared my life and most of my family's back when she could have easily devoured us all."

Nihility loosely crossed her arms and nervously scratched away at her right. "Our contractual terms were for me to allow her to feed on me and in turn, she won't hurt other innocent life. "Along with that, I gain an increase in my backup Maga quota storage after every feed." She tapped the middle of her forehead, but Cleo wouldn't know that that was where Shoggoth had implanted one of her eyes.

Nihility turned away from him to face the road. The memories of her first encounter with Shoggoth were starting to re-emerge and she no longer wished to speak anymore on the subject because any more and the revelation of her beloved brother's death would once again bubble to the surface.

"I'm sorry, I suppose you mean well, but I don't want to speak about it anymore. You don't need to worry, I'm okay now and will focus on the job at hand."

Boggs and Benji blinked in surprise, looking dazed as they tried to figure out what had just happened.

“Oh my. I seem to have captured a little mouse. I wonder, what should I do with you now, little mouse?” Nekomata purred into Boggs’ ear, flexing the claws of her free hand in front of his face.

Boggs went ramrod straight, shivering in place as he stared at the flexing claws. Benji's jaw worked, trying to produce some kind of sound, but he remained mute.

Nekomata's claws retracted as she moved her hand to Boggs ribs and started tickling him. Boggs burst out in agonized giggles, writhing as he tried to escape Nekomata's hold. With an almighty lurch, he forced himself forward out of her hold and bowled into Benji, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Rufus stared down at the pile of limbs near his feet, drooping grey mustache twitching, then glanced up at Nekomata. "We don't normally allow women in the watch... but we'd make an exception for you, Miss."

- Cleo -

"Right..." Cleo gave Nihility a skeptical look, but he didn't press the matter. Just what kind of twisted relationship did she have with her demon anyway? "I'll trust that you've got things under control then, but if you need to vent or just not be around people, tell me. Communication is key between partners, and for the duration of this mission, that's what we are."

He turned back to the "fight" just in time to hear the older man offer his demon a job. That earned a chuckle from Cleo, but it died when Nekomata glared at him over her shoulder.

"I'm sure you'd be happy to make all kinds of exceptions for a lovely lady like myself." She responded, turning back to Rufus with a cat that ate the canary look. "However, if this is what I'd be working with," she gestured to where Benji and Boggs were still trying to disentangle themselves, "I don't think I'm the right fit for the position. Besides, I'm already spoken for."

Nekomata moved to Cleo's side, looking up at him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "I don't suppose you could have cleaned up your own mess instead of taking the time to talk with another woman?"

"Unfortunately, I needed to make sure that our comrade has her head on her shoulders right now. Besides, you enjoyed that. Admit it."

The look she gave him in response was anything but warm. "I might have enjoyed it more if I actually got to shred them into ribbons, but I suspect you would have taken issue with that. Since you clearly need me to fight all of your battles for you, maybe I should track down the woman that just left too?"

"I wasn't planning to fight with her."

"You were planning to something with her." One clawed finger dug sharply into his chest. That would definitely leave a puncture wound.

"Can we discuss this later?" Cleo pointed to Rufus. "We should probably finish getting the information on our mission first."

Nekomata retracted the claw and turned her back on him with a not so subtle "hmph". They'd have to talk about that later, but right now, he really did need to discuss the mission with someone.

Turning to Rufus, Cleo cleared his throat and then spoke. "So, now that we're all... acquainted," his brain supplied the word about half a second later than it should have, but it didn't sound too awkward, at least, "would you be so kind as to tell us what we're dealing with?"

Turning to Rufus, Cleo cleared his throat and then spoke. "So, now that we're all... acquainted," his brain supplied the word about half a second later than it should have, but it didn't sound too awkward, at least, "would you be so kind as to tell us what we're dealing with?"

Benji and Boggs finally disentangled themselves and sat up, glaring at Nekomata and Cleo.

"Dealing with?" Benji snorted. "Demons, what else?"

Rufus twitched his mustache. "Now, now. They're here to help, you too. No reason not to cooperate."

Benji and Boggs folded their arms and looked away.

"Anywho," Rufus said, turning back to the Vanguards. "Let's see now... where were we? Oh, right. Demons. Least, we think so. They've been sneaking into the surrounding villages at night and making off with food and supplies."

"No one's been able to catch then," Boggs grumbled from the ground.

"No one's been able to even see them," Benji added.

"Funny, that," Rufus said, nodding. "They seem to know exactly where to hit to get what they need and get out without being noticed. Never even had to attack or kill."

Boggs jumped to his feet and swiped his sword from the ground. "Probably weaklings. Too afraid to fight directly, so they're trying to weaken the villages by making off with their supplies."

"So we're not worried." Benji stabbed his spear into the ground and used it to propel himself up. "We just gotta be vigilant. Which we were... till you guys came along to distract us."

"How do you expect to watch the whole village with just three of you?" Tamara walked up once more, holding a basket.

The twins dived in without preamble, pulling out what appeared to be their lunches.

"We gotta bird's eye view from the tower," Boggs said through a mouthful of sandwich, pointing upward.

"And Rufus has eyes on the ground," Benji added.

Rufus, who looked like he'd been nodding off, gave a start at the sound of his name.

"Right," Tamara sighed.

"Hey, no sweets?" Boggs protested, sticking his hand into the basket and rummaging around.

Benji frowned. "You're holding out. On us. The brave men protecting you from harm."

Tamara sighed and shook her head. "I gave it to a poor little boy wandering around. I think he could use it more than you brave men."

The two flushed and turned away before continuing to eat. Tamara pursed her lips, giving them one last disapproving look before turning to Nihility and Cleo.

"Not much I'm afraid," she said, handing some sandwiches to the two. "But I tried to put something together for you as well."

Nihility gently nodded in response to Cleo's concern about her having control for now. She was still looking out at the road they had taken to get to the watchtower so she saw Tamara returning with a basket held in her arm. The young woman was at first apprehensive towards excepting the sandwich from their host but eventually took it and quietly whispered thanks.

Nihility looked over at the triangle sliced sandwich and then nibbled at it from the edge. she rolled the morsel around in her mouth for a few seconds. Thankfully her taste buds were back to normal and the feeling of uneasiness in her stomach had subsided.

"It seems to me that you lot might be having a spy amidst or at the least some outsider snooping in on you from afar and reporting back to its comrades."

She gladly munched on the rest of the meal, her energy replenished with each bite. Making sure there weren't any crumbs on her clothes, Nihility continued.

"Has anyone spotted or interacted with any new and or suspicious characters recently, and before you say it, yes, apart from us two vanguards here?" She gave a short glare over to the twins because she expected them to instantly point the two vanguards out at her question.

- Cleo -

Demons that no one had even seen? How were they so certain that it was actually demons then? It probably wasn't worth arguing with them over it though. Besides, if the Vanguard had already been called in, they might as well help resolve the issue for the sake of the villagers out here.

Cleo silently agreed with Nihility's assessment of a spy. Even a demon with some form of invisibility couldn't get lucky this many times. They had to know ahead of time where to target and when was the best time to pull it off. Benji and Boggs calling this phantom thief a weakling was borderline laughable, but now didn't seem like a good time for him to say as much.

His eyes went to the doorway as Tamara returned, offering them food. "I appreciate anything you're willing to give me." Cleo said as he took the sandwich, giving her a wink.

"Maybe a lady, such as yourself, should be holding out. No need to be giving all of these brave men a taste of your sweets." Nekomata stepped in between them, a startlingly serene smile plastered on her face.

"Wait..." Nekomata turned towards Cleo, pinning him with a look. His only response to that was a frown before he turned his attention back to Tamara. "You said there was a young boy, right? With a community this size, I can't imagine there are many people you don't know. Was he traveling with a caravan or something?"

"Spy?" the four villagers blurted out together. They exchanged looks, trying to make sense of this claim.

"Has anyone spotted or interacted with any new and or suspicious characters recently, and before you say it, yes, apart from us two vanguards here?"

Benji and Boggs, their mouths half-opened, closed them immediately and glared. Tamara frowned, trying to think, when Cleo spoke to her and winked.

Tamara blinked, looking more surprised than flattered by Cleo's actions. When Nekomata spoke to her, however, she smiled.

"Oh, it's the least I can do," she said, shrugging. "And they're not that hard to make. I can give you the recipe!"

Before Nekomata could response, Cleo seemed to think of something.

"You said there was a young boy, right? With a community this size, I can't imagine there are many people you don't know. Was he traveling with a caravan or something?"

Tamara tilted her head, frowning. "Well... no, I didn't know him. But he was just a boy. He said he got separated from his parents while they were traveling to Chaldea. I offered to help him find them, but he said he could do it himself."

Boggs snorted. "Really? A kid? Some kind of spy?"

Benji elbowed him, smirking. "Come on. Let's go bring the the little child in for the Chaldeans to question. I'm sure they can get us lots of valuable intel."

Boggs grinned and followed Benji out from beneath the watchtower's base.

"Don't hurt him!" Tamara called out, causing Rufus to snort and start awake.

"Is the cat lady beating those two up again?" he asked sleepily.

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A small figure squeaked slightly and tucked in behind the barrel as two sets of feet stomped by. He peeked out and saw the twins heading off into the village.

Hmm... he probably had enough for now. Maybe it was time to make himself scarce...

- Cleo -

Cleo sighed as the two self-proclaimed brave men rapidly pushed through the door and out into the street.

"If I'd beaten them up, they wouldn't still be walking." Nekomata responded to Rufus, reaching out to give one side of his mustache a tug. "You realize, as a feline, I'm an expert on cat napping, right? Sleeping in this chair is definitely bad for your neck."

Shaking his head, Cleo put a hand on Nekomata's shoulder. "Kitten, would you please follow them and keep them out of trouble?"

"Trying to get some alone time with the pretty farmer so you can sample her sweets?" She turned her knowing gaze in his direction.

"You have sharper eyes than mine." Cleo responded, sounding more professional than he felt at this particular moment. "More beautiful ones too." He tacked on when those eyes narrowed.

"You're shameless." Nekomata grumbled as she turned to follow Benji and Boggs.

"But you like me that way." Cleo called after her.

"Charmer..." She muttered accusingly, without turning around.

After a moment, Cleo turned back towards the others. "Nihility, you don't have any kind of flying demon, do you? If not, I'll probably post up on top of the guard tower. Our two pairs of watchful eyes seem to have abandoned their posts."

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- Nekomata -

Her ears twitched at the sound of a sharp squeak. It sounded almost like a mouse, and she had to fight primal urge to pounce on it.

Running her tongue over her upper lip, Nekomata gripped a window shutter and used it to hoist herself up to a low balcony for a better view. Judging from the cloth hanging on the lines around her, the owner of this house was currently doing laundry, but hopefully she wouldn't be here when they came to check on their sheets.

Her ears strained for a repeat of the sound, but there was none.

Patience...

A few seconds later, a tiny figure moved from the shadows and into the street below.

Not a mouse, but prey none the less.

Licking her lip again, Nekomata slid over the balcony railing and back to the ground, never letting her eyes leave the child. The two boys wanted to question him, but she had other plans. The fastest way to find a rat was to follow it back to its den.

The female Vanguard squinted her eyes as she stared the twins down. Though once the two were finally out of sight, Nihility sighed in relief as she now wouldn't have to deal with their snarky attacks... at least for now.


"Yes. I don't currently have any Summons that would be classified as a Flying Demon." Nihility responded back as she moved over to climb the tower at Cleo's suggestion.

Tamara sighed as everyone seemed to disperse - Cleo and Nihility for the tower above, and the twins and Nekomata into town. Only she and Rufus remained, the latter staring after Nekomata with lips slightly parted, fingers stroking his mustache where she'd touched him.

"You realize she's a demon, don't you, Rufus?" she asked. She couldn't quite be sure how much he was aware of what was going on around him.

"Eh?" he blinked and looked at her. "Oh, Tamara. At a certain age, things like that stop mattering."

Tamara just shook her head as Rufus went back to dozing on his chair and went back toward town. If the twins did find the little boy, it was best if she were there.

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The little boy crept out from his hiding place, keeping a careful eye out as he slipped through the streets and alleys of the town until he came near the outskirts of the town. He paused, and then... something strange happened.

The battered little helm on his head twitched, as though something moved beneath it. He then lifted the helmet to reveal two animal-like ears, which flicked as though listening for sound. Nothing. Just the slight snorting of the two horses tied to the wagon, resting stationary near the edge of town.

The boy jammed the helm back down over his ears and made a break for it. Racing across the open stretch between the last house and the woods, he ducked beneath the horses, weaving between their legs, then made a dive for freedom.

And crashed into the man who rounded the wagon.

The two collapsed to the ground in a pile of limbs, each shouting in surprise.

"What's the big idea, you dumb ox?" the little boy bellowed. "Watch where you're going!"

Jack blinked in surprise, lifting up the boy as he punched and kicked the air, trying in vain to loose himself. As he did, something dropped loose from the back side of his pants.

A tail. A bushy brown tail.

Jack blinked at it, which gave the boy enough time to sink his teeth into Jack's arms. Jack howled in pain and dropped the boy, who landed with both feet on Jack's stomach and leaped off to make another break for the woods.

"The... hell...?" Jack groaned.

- Nekomata -

Every muscle in her body tensed, freezing her in place, as the boy lifted his cap to reveal animalistic ears.

Prey.

Her eyes narrowed from her perch atop an abandoned wagon, filled halfway with hay. Some workmen had probably left it during the hot part of the day to go get a drink and hadn't yet returned.

When the boy suddenly darted for the woods, it took everything within her to not immediately give chase. Instead, she remained in place.

One second... five... ten... At fifteen, she allowed herself to follow, but not at the same speed. Like a predator stalking her prey, she prowled after him. Her strides were methodical, leisurely even. If something upset him, he might not return to his den.

All of that was before she heard the crash.

Increasing her pace, she slipped around the back corner of the wagon, just in time to see the kid dart into the woods, fearful eyes turned over his shoulder.

With a frown, she turned her attention to Jack, who was sitting in the dirt, gently tapping his fingers on what looked like an animal bite.

"You should probably clean that. He might have been venomous." Nekomata said, making her presence known to the merchant. She'd have to confirm Cleo's suspicions without actually discovering the den now. Terrified animals rarely brought danger back to their door. The child would, no doubt, avoid returning to his hideout until he was certain that the coast was clear.