Adeline could hear the other hunters return to the void, their makeshift base of operations in the middle of an endless space. At the moment, the blind girl and her spiritual demon lizard were assuming the roles of living air conditioners. Obviously, their job was not yet done, and they would be standing alone with Death for quite some time. As she could no longer hear the sounds of breathing and footsteps from the others, she decided to spark up a conversation with Death himself.<br/><br/>"I can understand your reasoning, of why you wish to preserve humanity," Adeline began to speak in a solemn tone. "I am sure all of us do. Though, I suppose I can sympathize with the silencers as well... some of them, anyway." She paused for a moment before speaking again, "Even I sometimes believe that the world would be better off without humanity. But then I think of how selfish I was, wasting the chance that was given to me and the others."<br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">As the gathered Hunters made their way back through the portal, Death stood silently at the edge of his barrier, arms crossed and eyes fixated on the tower The Reverend had disappeared back into. His expression was hard and emotionless; one would have to be capable of reading minds to know his thoughts. Before long, everyone except him and Adeline had retreated, but Death had no particular intention of acknowledging that. It was Adeline who decided to do something first, attempting to strike up a conversation. Death made no motion as she spoke, save for shifting his eyes slightly in her direction. There was an exceptionally long period of silence after she finished speaking in which Death stayed equally silent, but eventually, he finally responded.<br/><br/>"Believing the world would benefit from a lack of humans is nothing more than ignorance. Remove the spiders from existence, and there's nothing left to keep the other insects in check. Humanity is no more and no less important than any other aspect of life; the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, it all exists in <span style="font-style: italic">balance.</span> Making adjustments to this balance is not something a haphazard fool like the Reverend can do without disrupting it and, in the end, causing destruction for all things.. himself included."</span><br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/>Adeline listened to Death's council with great interest. It's not every day that you get to hear the words of someone who has lived eons beyond your lifespan. She's not entirely sure how long Tiresias has existed, but any advice he could give would not amount to anything other than simple perversion and aggravation.<br/><br/>"Spiders, huh?" she said, following a brief chuckle. "I suppose that is one way to look at us. Back then, I was too accustomed to being at the bottom to ever look up. When I finally found a way back up, well... I am sure you know what I'm referring to."<br/><br/>It felt somewhat ironic that she felt more comfortable talking with Death and Tiresias than the other hunters, despite her problems with the latter. She probably spoke with demons lately more so than the others, even if it was somewhat unintentional with Death's other alias, Ayl Taveirn.<br/><br/>"But I digress, I am sure you don't want to hear the ramblings of a not-quite-middle-aged woman about her life when you're the lord of all that is... dead. You'll already have to deal with me enough once I'm 6 feet under, I am sure you don't want to deal with it now."<br/><br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Death smirked. "6 feet under is an amusing term.. though the man who coined it didn't agree, last time we spoke." A few moments passed, and Death finally moved, turning in his spot and slowly walking towards the only other person in the barrier. "Tell me, Adeline.. How high do you believe your chances of winning this war are, truly?"</span><br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/>Adeline spent some time pondering the question Death imposed on her. "I didn't quite see what everyone else was looking at earlier, but according to Tiresias he is, 'Really big.' However, considering the world of darkness that I'm cursed to wander, it's hard to be intimidated by things you can't see. I suppose once you get over that, you really have nothing to fear, no?" She chuckled to herself once more before she began to speak again, "In all seriousness, I believe that if everyone has something they fight for, it's just a test of their conviction against the enemy's. I overheard two of the hunters earlier, a conversation between Sam and the one known as Hatsu, if I'm not mistaken. They both have something to fight for, something to look forward to even after the whole world has been burned to ash around them."<br/><br/>She turned her head in the direction of Death's voice. "And with you here, we know that humanity isn't alone in this fight. Others wish for us to salvage what is left, and as long as we know there is hope, we can win."<br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Death listened silently as Adeline spoke again, and stayed that way for a few moments after she ceased. "..That's a refreshing opinion," he finally said, turning back to view the tower. "Have you ever considered your blindness may a blessing more than a curse? I expected the same concern the others have shown. Perhaps you should speak to the others once we return. Hearing optimism from another of their own may ease their minds."</span><br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/>"I'm not entirely sure what you consider Tiresias, but he is the one who currently has my sight," the handicapped woman spoke, her head facing back to the portal. "However, I don't hate him for that reason." She paused again as Death spoke up, granting her another question. "That is agreeable, I'll do anything I can to assist the others."<br/><br/>There was a period of silence, with only the wind brushing the ground as it was being dragged into the void. The passive quiet was broken after Adeline lifted her head and spoke again, "It's somewhat ironic. A month ago, I would look upon the faces of man, knowing that any one of them could have committed sins equivalent to the demons that all of us are bound to for survival. If things happened differently, I wouldn't be trying to find a way to prolong my life, but to end it."<br/><br/>Adeline's head dropped, as if she was losing the will to maintain it's weight. Her voice became hollow as she continued speaking, although it was hard to tell if she was still speaking to Death, Tiresias, or herself. "I was abandoned at an orphanage. The owners had a deal with this... man. When the girls came of a certain age, they would be sent to him. This man, he... created living dolls. We were bound at every moment, forced to endure pain in order to learn how to 'Enjoy' it. He removed our teeth so we couldn't fight back, he would make extremely loud noises next to our ears so we would eventually become near-deaf. He blind-folded us as he tortured us, but he recorded it so we'd be forced to see what would happen if we disobeyed. He did this until we became almost lifeless, only to react when we're told to. The final part was optional, depending on who ordered us. He would cut the vocal chords of some girls, so they couldn't scream. Some preferred it. Some didn't."<br/><br/>Her head picked up as she continued her story. "I was lucky. Before the process was 'complete,' the police caught on to the operation and shut it down. After that, I was brought to another orphanage. I was adopted because someone liked my voice. I was brought up to learn how to sing, and eventually I joined the opera. The rest isn't too impressive from then til now. It's just... ironic. I have super-human hearing and my voice made me a living, at the cost of my sight. Two things I could have lost." She paused once again, before abruptly changing the subject; "This should be enough for now, right?"<br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">For his part, Death remained silent as Adeline spoke of her history, keeping the same stone-faced, emotionless expression he had been wearing previously. He gave little visual acknowledgement of the sad story he was being told, save for closing his eyes, though given her lack of sight it wouldn't have made much difference even if he had. Once the tale was told, the two stood in silence for a while longer until Adeline requested they return inside.<br/><br/>"Very well. That should be enough for their continued survival, until I can form a portal to a more appropriate training destination. You may stop." Death's words were without compassion, keeping the same superior tone it always had as he turned on his heel and started walking towards the portal, the residual wind funnel not phasing him in the slightest as he walked through it. He halted just before the portal and lifted a single arm, positioning his fingers together before making a quick <span style="font-style: italic">snap,</span> a light dusting of dark energy dissolving into the air around it. He lowered his arm again, turning his head to his company for one moment and speaking before they entered. "You'll be glad to know, Adeline; Hell exists for a reason."</span><br/><br/><br/>----------------------------------------------<br/><br/>Adeline gave an affirming nod to Death, followed by a smile. "Thank you for listening, Death. Though, right now, I should take care of more immediate concerns, yes?" she stated before entering the portal to the Void.