<span style="color: gold">"I wouldn't recommend accepting the advances of the corpse of a Devout One, 'jou-chan."</span><br/><br/>As the temperature of her glare dropped by the second, a neutral voice interjected before her right hand made it down to the hilt of her blade, causing her to pause. It was accompanied by a large hand clamping down on the shoulder of the so called "Seraph", pressing down hard enough to make the man squirm. Her expression softened as she shifted her gaze to the newcomer; Kaleissa recognized him as the man she was<span style="font-style: italic">supposed</span>to be meeting, whom she had met for the first time in the ruins the day before. Needless to say, "Gill" was a lot less pleased to see him than she was.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"A-are you threatening something to me, the Seraph of Kanzem, you lowly Sabakujin! Get your hands off of me this instant!"</span><br/><br/>The last half of his angry outburst was summarily drowned out by the appearance of an all too excited brunette literally flinging herself in his direction. It didn't take more than a second for Kaleissa to recognize this newcomer too: her manner of dress was quite distinctive for a warrior-infested city like this, reminding her more of the outfits Maya wore in her line of work, and the girl's excessive to the point of overflowing excitement was definitely one of a kind. Her first impression of the younger woman had been based on the poised and ready stance that greeted her in the city ruins. That impression was shattered to tiny pieces and trampled underfoot less than a minute later, when they had relaxed and introduced themselves. With a helpless sigh, Kaleissa shook her head, losing interest in the rather awkward situation that was unfolding as the Kanzemite turned his attention to the breasts pushed up against him and the excited fangirl that they were attached to. If one could disregard the words exchanged, the scene as it appeared now was that of a prospective boyfriend receiving much affection from the little sister as a highly displeased older brother clapped a hand on the man's shoulder in an unspoken warning. The majority of the crowd, mostly Sabakujin mercenaries or adventurers, had similarly lost interest when what started off as a possible employment opportunity and fight degenerated into this romantic comedy.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Gill the Seraph died a year and a half ago."</span><br/><br/>The last statement Jyuuzou had made had been largely drowned out by Ariana's chattering, but though his voice had not been particularly loud, the words had not gone unheard. Tilting her head slightly, Kaleissa took a moment to study the "Seraph" standing before her. He certainly did not<span style="font-style: italic">look</span>like someone who had died once, or even like someone who had come close to death at all. Having spent a large portion of her life in the company of veteran killers and gone through a fair share of life and death situations herself, Kaleissa dared say that she was somewhat familiar with what death looked like, and what those who evaded it looked like. Jyuuzou had that in spades, almost as if the souls of the departed were clinging to him like a mantle. "Gill" though...if the man had ever done more than terrorize peasants, she would drink her own poison straight. Even though she had never heard of any Seraphs of Kanzem, Kaleissa highly doubted that he was worthy of her respect; Jakuuzoku culture simply had no tolerance for bullying the weak. If he really was the Seraph from Kanzem who had died once and returned, with the way he was going about his second chance at life, he might as well just go die again. If he was a fake, as it appeared given how he was pointedly ignoring Jyuuzou's advice, well, it wasn't her problem anymore.<br/><br/>Kaleissa looked skyward, noting the position of the sun. It was already past sunrise, the appointed meeting time, and they had yet to even begin discussing the details of their temporary alliance. Her eyes met Jyuuzou's with an unspoken question, and she received a slight nod in assent. Raising her voice to make herself heard over Ariana's prattling, Kaleissa called out to the younger woman, her words hiding a trace of her amusement mixed with a tinge of impatience.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"Leave him, Ariana, let's go.</span>Black eyes gave the Kanzemite a final glance, a look of dismissal that radiated contempt. It was the look that one might give to trash on the side of the road that had not even realized it was trash. Despite all the time she had spent in the company of her Sabakujin comrades, it appeared that the mindset of the Jakuuzoku was rather firmly ingrained into her beliefs.<span style="color: violet">"The man's worth is even less than that statue we found yesterday. They're both ugly, but at least one of them has cultural value."</span><br/><br/>Leaving "Gill" with this parting shot, Kaleissa turned her back on him and strode away, not at all concerned about leaving the man who was now sputtering in indignation at her remark in her blind spot. Assuming he could extricate himself from Jyuuzou's grip, unlikely as that was, she rather doubted that he would be able, or willing, to do the same about Ariana's bust. Already putting the man out of her mind, her next thoughts were to look for a discreet place where the three of them could discuss what they had come to discuss.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet"><span style="font-style: italic">'Maybe an inn or a tea house? No, too crowded, we need some privacy. Perhaps that little park over by the east gate?'</span></span>