Scene #7932: The City of Fortuna

Owner	Pose
Vergil	The warpgate leads out into a small, very recently constructed building, whereupon papers are checked by men clad in white. Their uniforms have splashes of red, particularly on the back where a large symbol dominates. It depicts a sword, the hilt crowned with a pair of horns, and entwined with an angelic wing. Names and reason for visit are asked for, along with recent medical history. "Our community is small, and transmittable disease will rip through us quickly. If you have been ill in recent days, we ask that you wear a mask during your visit." Through the door (Amii and Stolas have to crouch), and the town of Fortuna comes into view. It's a beautiful place that projects a very sanctified feel. Every structure looks like it could be the wing of a church. The roads are all orderly stone, and the buildings are all rounded, with circular stained windows and tapering tiered rooftops in all colours of tile. Small gardens and fountains are around every corner, keeping the views fresh and lively. It's all very antiquated, but also well-kept, like something out of a picture book. The people are all in white, just like the men in the warpgate containment. They all general have that same sword symbol on them somewhere. On the shoulder, on their pants, as a pendant. It's ever-present. But unlike what one would expect from a town that all worship the same obscure beliefs, they all seem quite warm and friendly, even towards the demons. Especially towards them, in fact. There's even a glimmer of reverence in some of their eyes. Amii seems embarrassed and Bifrons pulls his hood over his face. Stolas however, simply preens. The group has an armed escort guiding them to the research facility. Guards in crisp uniforms with swords at their belts march you all towards a small building adjacent to a tall monolith, all in black with strange golden etchings upon it. It is here that two men await you. One is old, and clad in fine priest robes and towering hat. The other is younger, with a strong jaw, tanned skin, and a monocle. His back is hunched and he looks away nervously as the older man greets you all with open arms and a smile. "Thank you for coming, one and all." He places his hands on the shoulders of all those he can. For those taller, he settles for the arms. "I am Sanctus, the head of the Order of the Sword. It is I who oversees the day-to-day of Fortuna, and lead our people. The man beside me is Agnus, a brilliant researcher who recently joined us." The hunched man comes forward and gives a hurried bow. "A p-p-pleasure," he stutters, before withdrawing. The classic 'awkward scientist' vibes.
Cantio	Hearing about the island ahead of time has given Cantio a little more time to prepare for today's mission. She's dressed all business-like today, attache case dangling at one side while her other hand remains free to hand over her Concord paperwork to help smooth out the whole check in procedure. She's dressed a beige jacket and shirt with a dark brownish-red skirt and stockings combo today, and her hair is tied up in a tight ponytail that actually keeps it from fluttering all over the place. Her clothes (the shirt in particular) also fit considerably more snugly today than her usual loose and flowing wardrobe. "Thank you for having us. We'll be careful not to spread anything." She tries to reassure the guards after giving her name to match her paperwork, and she even masks up before continuing onwards. No sense freaking these people out more and drawing more attention, after all, especially since she (presumably) needs to keep a low-ish profile to get any useful info from her time here. The friendliness, however, does throw her off a little. It's certainly not unwelcome, but very much unexpected after the welcomes she's seen given to her more demonic allies in Amii and friends. She has to hold back a giggle at their expense, too, when they get more attention from the townspeople. "Not used to this?" Cantio asks with a slight teasing tone, looking up at the research facility during the approach. She eyes those golden etchings curiously, taking a moment to ask if she can take a picture for a souvenir and doing so with her phone if given the go ahead. Otherwise, she heads on in, and she greets the two researchers with a brief, yet firm wave and offered handshake. The hand-on-shoulder maneuver gets her to freeze up, though, as though her carefully practiced-for-one-hour confidence is already cracking. "Cantio, second-in-command of Cadenza and in charge of... Basically all those things like you are here. Pleased to meet you both, Mister Sanctus. Mister Agnus. What do you have in the pipeline here?" A beat, and then she goes right on to a more pressing question. "And how far have you gotten using this? I mean... Is this a first launch, or have you already been able to use this successfully?"
Tamamo	Tamamo arrives in her formal robes, seeming suitable for the occasion, though an outfit of blue, black and gold does stand out against white and red. "Oh, one need not worry. I am well equipped to deal with any healing as shall be required, and do see to my own, as well." No mask necessary. Her healing charms probably won't be, either, but she always carries some curatives, regardless. She follows the escorted path, taking in the sights, choosing not to bother the guards, with the expectation that she'll have someone else to bother, soon. She is curious, though she makes nothing of it, as to whether these people will assume her a demon, as the demon hunter seemed to. Allowing for small misunderstandings, she introduces herself as "Tamamo-no-mae, and a pleasure it is to meet you," leaving out anything about her particular nature as a bunrei. "I have only just learned the smallest amount about your order, and it did arouse some curiosity to hear more. Historical knowledge, that of the era that came before, does interest me, given how it may relate to some recent events." She leaves it just that vague, but she's actually referring to the 'humans and demons, together' bit. "As well, I wonder what physical legacy may have been left by Sparda, or whether there is some other guiding source for your order." 'Where's your scripture,' in other words.
Lilian Rook	Lilian's relief at not having to deal with that 'mad gunwoman' again is so great that she'd rather come to expect that little to nothing would stand out or put her off about this outing by comparison. Her unspoken anticipations are immediately rebuked the second she's asked for 'immediate medical history'. She hesitates with the pen, in uncharacteristic fashion, fiddling with it between gloved fingertips for moments, while thinking: §How in the name of god almighty do I answer that?§ She leaves it with 'admitted for exigent injury, discharged with clean bill of health', then goes on silently worrying about her contacts. "For some reason, this all calls to mind some dreadfully inadequate misunderstanding of European history. Something about everyone living in little marble churches and castles, given those are the only thing we have left." Lilian murmurs just to fill dead air long the walk. "I've seen the Vatican, yet I still can't fathom what on Earth lead to all of this being built on an island. A flock more consistent than most. Perhaps it's easier to even to believe in demons than God, if you can see the former and not the latter?" Her eyes briefly drift in following the pendant of a woman passing by. "I rather prefer the iconography to the cross, though." she says. Upon arriving, Lilian's eyes widen a little at hearing the old man's name, silently repeating the Latin to herself with the barest movement of her lips. Getting the picture rather quickly though, Lilian hits 'em with the proper curtsy for once, distantly thinking about how long it's been since she's had to exercise her proper manners meeting anyone. "Lilian Rook, Dame Commander of the Ring of Solstice. I must expect, I wasn't anticipating the high honours of this meeting, out of simple curiosity's sake." says Lilian. She holds a fake smile without looking uneasy for a while, though it strains when Agnus shows up (the Latin is repeated in her head this time). "Well, perhaps mere curiosity isn't quite right. You could say that we have our reasonable concerns, given the distribution of demons who line up with your principles of worship, versus those who are . . . comparativly unfriendly."
Vergil	"Not in the least," Amii grumbles as Cantio's ribbing. "The farmers near us are respectful but much more... gruff, I suppose." As Cantio asks the status of the experiment, Agnus lights up and comes out of his shell, looming over her and adjusting his monacle. "T-This will be our f-f-first major test in using the device for it's intended p-purpose! But preliminary tests have shown p-promise! We've managed to open small su-sustained gateways for hours at a time!" Sanctus places a hand on Agnus' shoulder to calm him, and smiles at Tamamo. "Ah... I hope you'll keep this a secret from my people, but I don't actually carry our scripture on me at all times. These robes don't have much in terms of pockets." He chuckles softly, and continues. "I hope the bullet points will suffice. It is our belief that the Demon Knight Sparda ruled over this island as a feudal lord in the distant past." He gestures to the hills behind the town. The very top of a built tower can be seen peeking up from behind them. "An ancient castle in our hills is said to have been his. We follow in his example by cultivating strength to protect those weaker than us. You may have noticed the abundance of swords and sword iconography. Many of our flock practice some manner of swordsmanship or another to do just that." Looking to Lilian, Sanctus nods seriously. "Yes, I am well aware of what most demons are like. I was gladdened to know peaceful ones live among us." He smiles and nods to Amii and his crew. "And in the interests of their goal to promote co-operation between our races, I have invited them here today to bear witness. I hope you all will leave Fortuna optimistic about our shared futures. Now come; the test chamber awaits below. The group is guided into a nondescript, freshly constructed building with a sign above the door that reads "Order of the Sword Technology Bureau." Currently, it's just a wide office with a large service elevator at the back, which everyone boards and descends into the depths of the island. Agnus is visibly jittery with excitement. Amii and Stolas just look uncomfortable as they hunch to fit. The test chamber is behind thick glass and steel, a short walk from the elevator past several 'in construction' rooms. Agnus immediately begins flipping switches on a control panel, lighting things up. The centrepiece of the device is a small chunk of black stone, looking like it was chiselled from some greater whole. Multiple ray-emitting devices are pointed at it, with a large chunk of wall left clear on the opposite side of them. "You asked earlier, Miss Tamamo, of the physical legacy of Sparda. We have some here; a blade once believed to have been wielded by him." A pedestal arises from the floor, bearing an old, chipped sword. It imposes itself between one of the ray emitters and the chunk of stone. "This is the mechanic by which our device works. The Devil Sword Sparda was intimately bonded to its master; by chasing that link between them, we shall find our messiah!" The machine begins to come to life. In the background, Amii whispers discretely, "Watch closely Stolas."
Tamamo	"'To pursue strength to protect the weak' is a fine central precept, I would say, though the results of doing so have varied, perhaps, with respect to those other beliefs as were held by those who did gain strength." Tamamo's tone straddles between 'friendly' and 'reserved,' withholding judgment in favor of observation. Still, she does get closer to ask Lilian, not-quite-quietly enough, "If 'most demons' are of a particular, disagreeable sort, is there still need to do such a thing as to attempt to construct bridges between the realms? Most would call this a dangerous objective, I think." The notion of attempting to see the good in everyone does not, in Tamamo's mind, extend to demons. Amii's group simply happened to appear worthy of consideration, based on the circumstances in which she'd met them. She's not quite saying that, of course, because that would be very rude. More loudly, addressed to Sanctus, "Your messiah, is it? I had taken Sparda to be a figure that has since passed into legend. Do you believe that it is he, or another, who might be found?" Either way, she's ready to watch what happens.
Cantio	"If it can be maintained that long, then that's a good sign for the proof of concept. Stability shouldn't be an issue if everything's scaled up properly...." Cantio murmurs with a slow nod, sounding as though she's giving Agnus her seal of approval (however much or however little that may actually mean here). There's plenty of other misgivings floating around in the forefront of her mind, but she'll leave those unstated for now as her attention shifts elsewhere. "Do you have anything going on in that ancient castle? It sounds like it could be a good..." She struggles with trying to come up with the word for a few moments, looking over towards Tamamo and Lilian after a moment. "The... Focus places? Not a holy site, but sort of like that?" The word's not going to come to her anytime soon, so she ends up quieting down and gawking again as the group's reason for being here is explained during the walk. There's still thato ther matter nagging at the back of her head, but she can't ask that until after the group is finally led to the testing chamber. That, in turn, gives Cantio plenty of time to see more of the buiildings all around here. Service elevators. Multiple buildings. Well-staffed facilities. An entire testing chamber with freaking ray emitters just for the Devil Sword Sparda. That's probably enough stuff to see in passing that Cantio can finally pass off what might believably be passed off as a curious inquiry: "Everything here's so amazing! The machines, the buildings, the technology, everything in this chamber... This must have cost a fortune. Wealthy donors?" Cantio quiets down, meanwhile, once it looks like the machine's starting to do a thing. She looks over at Agnus, holding up her phone and gesturing at the machine while pantomiming taking pictures with the camera. "Is it okay if I...?" Yes, she's going to ask permission before recording all that. No sense annoying these people more than necessary.
Lilian Rook	Lilian beholds the excitable weirdo scientist casting Cantio in his shadow, looming above and saying half a dozen ominous lines in rapid succession. Her fingernail taps against her jaw. "You know, this sight fits just right." she says, without elaboration of any sort. Hairflip, heelturn, hurry up. "Ah, I suppose that's one of those things where it's a breach of tradition to tailor the vestments any further? It'd be more ordinary to memorize every word in cloisterage first, wouldn't it?" Lilian feels like raising an eyebrow at Sanctus' answer, but then shortly feels much dumber after logically examining the urge for more than two seconds. She's fairly certain that the pope doesn't go around with crossed tactical bandoliers of little bibles on under his robes. The mental image makes her smile, which is very easy to suddenly mistake for reassured friendliness. "Ah, that'd explain quite a bit, but if I may, that doesn't fully address my core concern. Of course, I would assume no oversight should be so grievous, but I've heard no mention of how it is you intend to sort the handful of demons receptive to Sparda's idiology from the rest; those that I believe he sealed off for no-doubt good reason." Her eyes drift over to the tower tip. "A martial society with a strong sense of justice and community is, itself, a worthy safeguard, but simply hoping for the best would seem an unnecessary endangerment of the faithful." Lilian sort of stares into the back of the duo's heads for a moment, as if already expecting an answer before she'd finished speaking. She frowns with uncertainty at nothing. Then, later, at being crammed into an elevator like that. "Given all those sweeping facades outside, you'd think they could have put a few more cubic feet into this." she whispers to Amii, torn on whether to sound commiserative or aggrieved. With the actual experiment at hand, Lilian keeps Tamamo close, her non-sword hand holding the Bunrei just out of the corner of collective vision. Her voice lowers for just her to listen to. "If that castle really is his old keep, what do you think the chances are that Sparda's sons would have no interest in it?" A pause. "Well, one of them."
Vergil	"Indeed," Sanctus says to Tamamo as Agnus toils over the device. "We've found many records of Sparda's endeavours in the ancient past, but nothing detailing his final demise. As such, we must assume that he still lives. But were a being of such power here in the human world, he would not be able to lie low for as long as he has. Hence, there is only one place he could be; the demon world. And if he is there, well... he has already proven himself stronger than any demon. So there is no possibility he was killed there." The machine hums louder as a fizzing red oval portal opens on the far side of the chamber. "Portal integrity at s-seventy percent!" Agnus shouts with delight. "Currently tracking Sparda!" The red light flickers and fuzzes like an out-of-tune television set, offering occasional glimpses at a hellish, dim landscape with dark writhing skies and barren, unnatural landscapes. Sanctus now addresses Cantio. "Oh, we maintain and it use it for ceremonies, but it is otherwise left alone at the moment. However, you are correct in thinking that there are places on this island close to the demon world. Great black monoliths of unnatural stone. A piece of one powers this very device." He gestures at the black stone acting as a focus for the rays. "Hm, oh, yes, certainly!" Agnus says to Cantio, not really paying attention as his fingers dance on knobs and levers. Santus takes this time to answer Lilian's earlier question. "Well, obviously we would not allow them in en masse. Ideally, I'd like to work with Amii to help those amenable to peace settle on this side of the barrier. But all of that is contingent on this working." Finally, the portal resolves. It observes a lowly demon dragging around a crude sword made of iron. Five more like it linger around. This is certainly no legendary demon knight. "W-W-W-What is the meaning of this?!" Agnus exclaims, slamming the console. Bifros steps forward and gestures at the sword in the chamber. "That, I'm afraid, is no Devil Arm. Merely a crude weapon fashioned by a lower demon, long ago. I'm afraid." Agnus beings chewing his thumbnail as Sanctus lets out a little sigh. Amii in the corner is in deep conversation with Stolas. "If we had something that truly belonged to him, then maybe..." "And is it replicable?..."
Tamamo	Tamamo is no help in Cantio's forgotten terminology, not knowing what she would want an old castle for. "Sparda's sons... are they truly...?" But if Sparda is still alive, then having literal sons, and not just figurative 'sons' in the form of a worshipful order, would be sensible. But then, someone would have seen him, more recently. It occurs to her that she doesn't actually know that much about the two they'd fought, though Lilian should. She quietly asks about it. "These monoliths, I would speculate that they are as stitches holding the two realms together, had I not heard that the two were once the same. One might, instead, suppose that they are as columns that hold the two apart, though that is as much speculation, and would, itself, suggest that Sparda had a hand in crafting them, if it was truly he, alone, who performed that separation, without assistance." Considering the answer to Lilian, Tamamo eventually voices her agreement, with only trace reluctance. "I shall hope for your success in this matter, and do think, as well, that you are well-suited to attempt it, if any are. There remains a risk that something might occur beyond your ability to halt, in opening a door between 'here' and 'there,' yet if we are to provide hope for any, we cannot close off this boundary in entirety. If the greatest of demons supports your efforts, then I suppose there is nothing more to fear." That the greatest warrior might, and sometimes does, fall to underhanded means, she doesn't mention. The portal opens, but clearly not to the location it intended. "To say that you are 'tracking'... how is this done, at present?" Hearing Amii and Stolas, Tamamo turns one ear toward their conversation, but keeps her eyes on the sword. "That is Sparda's blade, did you say...? I have some skill in searching out connections between items and their owners. Perhaps I could assist you, in this?"
Cantio	Something about what Lilian says doesn't feel quite right to Cantio despite what Lilian's seeing being just that. She looks over at Lilian, raising an eyebrow for several moments to try and figure it out, but she won't be figuring that out just yet. She glances over at Tamamo to see if she can glean any clues from looking that-a-way, but her attention is soon occupied by Sanctus talking about the theory on Sparda's whereabouts and the use of his former castle. "Channeling power from those areas does make a lot of sense, yeah. Using parts of his domain, even moreso, especially if he's the very demon you're trying to locate." She comments while eyeing that stone briefly, snapping a few pictures of it before turning her recording back to the portal itself. It certainly looks like a viable location for the highly regarded demon. Whether it's actually going to be Sparda's location remains to be seen, although she doesn't have to wait long as the portal completes, and she's immediately let down. Bifros explains what happened, and she jumps on that opportunity to try and find the upside to all of this. "It might not have found Sparda, but now we have conclusive proof that this machine works. That just means the next step is finding something of his that can point us in the right direction! Maybe not just a sword, but a... Piece of flesh? Horn fragment? Have you located anything of his in the castle?" She spitballs, then leaves that phone floating around (it's a tiny drone) to keep snapping pictures of the machine while she moves to join Amii and Stolas. "What about his sons?" Cantio suggests, keeping her voice down so as to not try and reveal that idea too early to Sanctus and Agnus. "We could hire them for a job to let us borrow something of his, if they have it. At least, if it doesn't just point at them instead."
Lilian Rook	"Still, I wonder if even contacting them one at a time is a very good idea. Without any particular system, it could easily take a very long time and entail a great deal of risk, not to mention if some broader network of demons on the other side begin to get an idea of what's going on." Lilian continues, conversationally. "Ah, so it's not simply a matter of courtesy, inviting distinguished guests to bear witness and preemptively allay concerns, but that you'd like to ask for their cooperation in the effort. That does elucidate some things." she adds. Lilian of course spares ample time and focus for a private discussion with Tamamo instead, while the spooky science man fiddles with all the knobs and gets Cantio hot. "Hereditary. Direct. I can only imagine that he was alive and incognito for some time if his sons are still so young." Back to the topic, as it evolves. Tension subtly released at the experiment's ostensible failure. "Indeed, Sparda is a rare case wherein the individual with the power to change history, stronger than anyone else, used it for something good, and then left it well enough alone. It's a refreshing truth, amidst the sea of fatuous, self-pitying poetry about how reaching for power is doomed to fail, and the birthright of the evil." says Lilian. "So your intent is to target Sparda himself directly? While that certainly seems a far surer bet than interrogating random demons, if you don't mind my asking, what is it that you hope to even ask from a messiah? If his work is done, what do you believe he would lift his sword for? It seems as if Fortuna is thriving, so I can't imagine that you need his help." She chews her lip in thought. "Please indulge that one as more than idle curiosity. There are low, but tangible, odds that I may coincidentally have a lead."
Vergil	"Your words are kind, even after our experiment had little to show," Sanctus says politely to Tamamo. "And your theory aligns with ours. Based on the little we know, it is strange that he would claim lordship anywhere, unless he had a task of great import. Worry not, we treat them as sacred sites and maintain them." Agnus is still chewing his nails as he answers Tamamo. The veins in his forehead bulge in a way suggestive that he would like to be yelling much louder and angrier than he is, but the presence of Sanctus is mollifying him. "Each d-demon, even if they look alike others of their k-k-kind, is a singular existence. Everything they do is for the purpose of becoming more p-powerful. Those who chant spells will grow more m-m-mouths to chant with more example." Having run his thumb down the cuticle, he switches to his index finger. "Because of this, everything t-that is 'of them' is intrinsically linked. This damnable, godforsaken FAKE of a s-sword was made by this demon. Thus, they are still linked, e-even now." Sanctus smiles sadly and shakes his head. "Your offer is appreciated, but it is transparently not his sword after all. However, Miss Cantio is correct. If we had something of his, we'd gladly accept your help, however. So please, calm yourself Agnus. Your device works as intended." The priest's words finally cause the engineer to calm, if only a little. Amii looks up as Cantio intrudes on the conversation. "I do not think that would work," Stolas hoots softly. "A demon is a solitary existence, as the engineer said. Just because they share his blood, I cannot say for sure if putting them in this machine would lead to Sparda. However, they would be our best chance of finding anything that once belonged to him." Lilian asks what Sanctus would do should they find Sparda and the old man smiles. "Ask him why, of course. Why he, the greatest of all demon, saw fit to protect us, the weak and lowly humans? What was the secret of his strength that allowed him to topple the king of demons? These are divine mysteries to us, and what better way to answer them than to ask him directly?" "But, perhaps we might have this conversation in the sunshine, if the test is done, hm?" Agnus nods glumly and powers the device down. Once again, everyone piles into the too-small elevator and rides it topside, back out onto the pleasant streets. "Now, you said you might have a lea-" A soccer ball smacks into the side of his head, making the priest reel. "Father Sanctus!" Agnus exclaims in shock, looking for the source. Three children run over to collect the ball, two boys and a girl. A boy and one of the girl look like siblings, the same brown hair and eyes. The brother has slightly leaner features, but the faces are alike too. The other boy is sullen, in contrast to the brother and sister looking apologetic. He refuses to make eye contact and tries to blend in to the background. A hard thing to do with his mop of pure white hair. "H-Hey, you little b-brats! Do you know what you've done?!" Agnus growls at the three, as Sanctus raises his hand. "Peace, Agnus. I am not yet so feeble that a ball will do me in." He smiles kindly at the children. "Do take care when playing in the streets in future, okay?"
Tamamo	"As you say, only something with such a connection would suffice for my own techniques, as well. I do not understand the ways of demons and their development in great detail, myself, but in this, I shall yield to those of expertise." Tamamo replies with calm patience, in contrast to Agnus's reaction to the experiment. 'Have you located anything of his in the castle?' "I would suppose not, though such a thing would be quite useful, if found." 'I can only imagine that he was alive and incognito for some time if his sons are still so young.' "Perhaps a retracing of their past steps might lead to something useful, as well," Tamamo says, in that aside with Lilian. 'However, they would be our best chance of finding anything that once belonged to him.' "It is somewhat more difficult to follow connections between more distant realms, yet if our goal is to find an associated item within this realm, I expect it would be enough, using such techniques as I know, even if they cannot extend such helpful cooperation as that for which we might wish." Back outside again, Tamamo does seem a degree more comfortable in the sunshine. She covers her mouth with a surprised expression at the sudden soccer interruption, but settles as Sanctus takes it calmly. "Oho, but is it not well that they should play so comfortably?" There seems to be no need to intervene, herself, but her attention is still drawn to them, trying to place why it should be. "It is unusual to have hair whitened so early in life, even in this world, is it not? I recall mention, at the entrance, of a concern for the health of those here, given its isolation. I have some significant skill in this area, and hope to be remembered, should more specific troubles arise." Hm, no, it's probably fine, even if she doesn't look too closely -- but she is curious, and so she directs some subtle scrying in the children's direction. Is there something unusual about their health, of a magical or spiritual nature?
Cantio	Even if it's not quite what Cantio was hoping for, knowing that she's on the right track is pretty reassuring in itself. She keeps to Amii and Stolas for the time being, stroking her chin while considering their options still. "It's the best we've got so far, if their scouring of the grounds here doesn't turn up anything. Whether those two would want to help, or..." She furrows her brow in thought while trying to weigh the options presented here. Indeed, getting the cooperation of those brothers would be the best bet as indicated by Stolas, but something still nags at the back of Cantio's mind. Eventually, however, she waves that concern away as the elevator reaches the top, but not before fiddling with her drone phone while continuing that train of thought. "We won't get far wondering about how they'll react, at least. Best case scenario, we'll be able to find some kind of clue towards where Sparda might be. Worst case scenario, they might get angry and..." She waves her hands vaguely. "Well, maybe we can avoid that problem, too. Hiring them shouldn't be too much of an issue if we want to make sure we're not getting into a fight just by calling them." Upon getting outside, Sanctus gets fouled, Agnus loses it (however briefly), and Cantio's face lights up a bit as the children approach. "Aw, hi there! I'm Cantio. What're your names?" She greets while leaning forward with her hands on her knees to try and get closer to eye level, but not quite looming over any of them. The white-haired child gets her attention, but she'll leave the questions about the whitened hair to Tamamo. Instead, she turns her attention to the brown-haired siblings while letting her drone phone drift over towards Amii and Stolas. "How long have you all been here? Do you like it here?" Those should be easy enough questions to answer, and it's easy enough to sound genuinely curious rather than the questions of someone trying to figure out if there's anything weirder going on. The phone, meanwhile, has a single line of text on the display ready for the demons to read and answer with a simple tap on the prompt. > Do you trust them? < > Y/N <
Vergil	Tamamo's well-meaning questions to the sullen boy only get an angry glare back and a "None of your business," in response. As she scrys him however, something absolutely comes up. There, in the deepest part of him. Still developing, but unmistakable. This boy is part demon, one-quarter to be precise. Cantio gets a kinder response as she bends down to look the children in the eye. "I am Credo," the brother says. "And this is my sister, Kyrie." The white-haired boy remains silent, so Kyrie says, "And this is Nero." He grunts in annoyance. "We were born here, it is our home. When I'm older, I'll become a Holy Knight and protect it." Nero just continues to radiate a degree of hostility and angst you would expect from a teen, not a child his age. Meanwhile, Bifros gives Cantio a subtle look and shakes his head 'no.' Amii and Stolas seems to echo the sentiment.