<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong><span class="bbc_u">After Everyone Left</span></strong></span></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nvQJUqt.jpg)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Albion<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>June 15th, 2021, Morning<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>Department Store<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Nerissa, Lily, Kevin, Toshiro<br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong>Back on track<br/><strong>WEARING:</strong>Dressed minus blazer<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Leaving Albion alone with Nerissa could sometimes be seen as a recipe for trouble, not in the chaos they could cause together (of which only one time truly took that particular cake), but rather the chaos that was usually visited upon<em>him</em>. Still, his choices of helping him fit things properly to make sure they worked were Nerissa or Lily, and the latter had gone off to sow more of her trademark chaos with that weapon of mass destruction she called a laptop... Which meant Nerissa was his go-to aid. The pair found a changing stall, stepping inside before the curtain was drawn.<br/><br/><em>'I feel like I'm going to regret this...'</em>He sighed inwardly, though much to his surprise, the topic of discussion wasn't his choice of fashion, but something else entirely...<br/><br/>"Electric shock... You mean for the prisoner?" He asked with a blink before shaking his head. "You're kinder than me, I would have suggested a bomb collar without hesitation. But there's a very big reason Toshiro deals with the demons and I don't, and that would be one reason why." He still made no effort to mask his dislike for the blue Calder demon, but he easily did not share the same level of likeness others had for her, chiefly due to their past misgivings. "Everything that went on that day was nothing short of a clusterfuck. I'm not going to sugarcoat what she did, she very easily is responsible for more than a few fatalities even before SOPHE entered the scene, and the only ones I could count were the ones I could personally see. As for why she's here? The same reason we're out here preparing for a mission right now that isn't set to take place until later tonight: Our higher-ups aren't thinking things through." He groused with an indifferent shrug. "But then I never put much stock in them to begin with."<br/><br/>Looking at Nerissa, he folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "I can't excuse why they brought her out, limited magic or no. She's as crafty as they come, they can't expect me to believe she's behaved so nicely she gets a day out. Good behavior doesnt even get normal criminals out among civilians that soon. If they pulled her out... They know more than they're letting on, most likely." It was a stretch to say it, but there was always a chance the prisoner had connections to whatever their target turned out to be tonight. However, the reason Nerissa brought this up quickly became apparent when dejection showed on her face and she started to sulk.<br/><br/>It didn't take long for Albion to guide his hand to her head and pet her gently. "Hey now, no frowning. I would have protested to her being brought out here if I knew... I'm willing to bet that's why no one but those close to her were likely notified of her showing up." He sighed, not liking seeing his normally happy friend so down in the dumps like this. "I woukdnt trust another Calder demon over you anyway. At least with you I know what I'm getting in to." He added with a soft chuckle, though he knew she wanted to be serious for the moment.<br/><br/>"Toshiro must have a great deal of faith in her if he protested to the collar. It doesn't help he isn't... The most capable fighter around. His technology is great though, if you have the window to set it up... If anything, that's probably why she isn't doing much to hinder us right now. She had that device on her wrist, which I wager was something he cooked up to make sure she couldn't use her illusions to her full capacity... However, even I know better than to put my complete faith in it." He added. He didn't like treating her as harshly as he did all War Demons, but the treatment was well deserved; She was one life who had taken countless others, leniency did not do one any favors.<br/><br/>However, when the conversation included Ryusei, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, this is precisely what I meant by her trying to turn us against one another... I'd like to think Ryusei's got a good head on his shoulders and isn't as prejudiced as I am. That being said... Not seeing either one, you might be right. The prisoner I feel is crafty enough to try to avoid cameras, but him? I can't see him intentionally avoiding every camera without his power, and if Lily couldnt catch him... Well, let's just hope he was keeping an eye on her because our boring bookworm managed to lose sight of her trying on wedding dresses like some teenaged daydreamer." He sighed, still in disbelief the woman had lost the prisoner so easily.<br/><br/>"No, you're not the only one; I trust her about as much as I trust our higher-ups. If that makes us bad, then so be it. Let's just hope for the best for now, and keep any contingencies we come up with in the back of our minds. Whatever she's planning, I'll trust Toshiro can stop her before anything happens, and I'll trust the War Demon to keep Ryusei in check if it comes to that." The wait and see game was really all they could do. He couldn't blame Nerissa for feeling suspicious in the slightest, everyone else had bought in to the prisoner's presence so easily.<br/><br/>Or maybe he was just too rigid. That was also a possibility.<br/><br/>"Toshiro's just trying to make headway in befriending demons without violence, that's all. It's pretty easy for him to take offense to anything that can hurt a demon. Even I caught flak for using tranquilizers to contain the prisoner in the past for not catching her from falling to the ground fast enough. We both just agree there are some things neither of us will do, so we just work around them as best as we can." He shrugged. Still, Nerissa seemed worried, only adding to his frustration with the mission as a whole. At this point, dressing in drag was the least of his worries.<br/><br/>He reached forward, pulling Nerissa into a hug as he shook his head. "Never count yourself out, Neri. I've seen you're capable of some pretty nerve-wracking illusions yourself. It's up to you to figure out the best way to protect us with them... And I'm always happy to help you find ways to train your illusion play on our off time." He smiled, guiding his hand up to brush her ear gently with his thumb. "You're not going to be in any jails if I have anything to say about it, and if you are... You're not going alone." He added to try and help encourage her, or at least not feel as if she needed to worry. Though he blinked and couldn't help but snort when she mentioned talk about collars and dates.<br/><br/>"If I would have known that, I'd have gotten you one too. But at least now I know what else to get you for your birthday."