When I returned back to our factions Island, I received a familiar greeting with Luka sitting on a wall and Albert leaning against you.
"Oh, hey! Look, clowns. We can probably run a circus, kids will laugh from your faces alone."
"What?" Luka muttered. "Why do you insult us right away?"
That was quite the mild reaction.
"Oh, he's a masochistic cunt. He wants us to tell him that making kids laugh is better than showing his face to criminals and having them wet their pants."
That's better.
Hey!
"Hey!" I snapped. "What brings you guys here for this bright greeting. Actually, how long DO you wait here?"
"An hour?"
"Don't tell him that, Albert, you fool."
"Wow, get a life."
"See, shouldn't have told him."
Albert wheezed at that and stood up straight. "Come along," he said. "We're having a meeting. A factional meeting."
I hadn't told them any part of what had actually gone down. I was almost sure they'll ask the details, but it seemed to not be the case.
Luka hopped down from the wall and Albert took the lead. The two of us were just following him in the fairly wide island, so we decided to do so while playing a best of ten rock-paper-scissors game.
He lost, of course.
Eventually, we came across a large room with mostly a glass pane instead of windows. This building that stretched four floors tall was quite close to the place where I had met with Lethe.
"Come in, this is going to be our base from now by the way."
"Isn't that whole island?" I said.
"We still need a cool place to convene at," Luka said back. "You know, boss and two sub-bosses."
"Excuse me? I am not accepting myself as anyone's sub boss!"
"Right, right," Albert said. "Luka is the second in command and you're just a normal member, alright?"
Did I look like a doofus to them?
Well, that was better than being called the 'second' in command. Ew.
Albert moved away the glass doors and brought us inside the room. With the flick of a switch, magical lights lit up all over the room, their shade a bit blue. He probably modified the circuitry to do that.
The inside of the room was just as fancy as the outside. With a bar counter at one end and a small fireplace at the other. Near the sides were a pool table and a set of bookshelves. Around the fireplace were three wide couches and a long glass table at their center.
"Cool, right?" Albert asked.
"Pretty neat."
"I like it a lot!" Luka muttered.
"Feel free to take the couch, I'll get us some wine."
Luka and I moved over to the couches. He took the double one and I laid myself over on the triple. It wasn't particularly cold, but I wanted to see the fire running up aesthetically so I lit a quick blaze up and the fire started right on. Albert was meticulous with preparations.
He came back over with a bottle of wine and four glasses. Crossing his legs over the single seater, Albert popped the bottle open and poured it down in all four of them.
"Well, order of business. We're having a toast for Yuyujinnyjin killing Dantalian…"
I sat up.
"And?"
"And for the fourth member of our faction."
"Fourth?" Luka asked too.
And then, from behind the bar counter, stepped out a girl with long black and white hair.
"Tada!" She said with zero interest.
"Yay!" And Albert half-heartedly clapped. "Welcome, Noa Roselle!"
"Heh?"
"Lame…"
"I know, I was forced into this by your leader."
Noa said and walked over to my side. She hopped over the back of the couch and took a seat next to me.
"I didn't have a room anymore, and living with that lady was getting suffocating."
Albert continued then.
"Noa insisted on joining us, and the principal ordered me to take her in. We've already moved her luggage to the house next to yours, Yuyu."
"Eueu? Yuyu?" Noa repeated. She suddenly covered her mouth and reeled back. "He's calling you pet names?! Why! What's the deal between you two!?"
"I know every scratch on Yuyu's body."
"Don't feed her imagination, you brat."
Albert shrugged and Noa squealed. Just what I would expect from this BL loving girl. It was still a lot of emotion for her though.
"Well, anyway, let's just have our drinks and go sleep."
"Why was this meeting called anyway?" Luka asked.
"I wanted to show you guys this room."
"Do it on its own! We didn't even praise it."
"Yeah… I am hurt about that…"
"Sorry, sorry, it's a pretty well made place. Right, Eugene, Noa?"
"Could be better."
"Don't care."
Albert lowered his head more and chugged the wine down.
We decided to sit and watch the fire till the bottle ended.
"Hey, what about that faction festival thing?" I asked.
Albert looked my way.
And so did Luka.
"Oh…"
"We forgot…"
The faction was in splendid hands.
"Let's bother with that tomorrow," Albert said, getting off his chair. "I was too concerned about you to think of it."
"Same here, both of you," Luka said too. "I am just going to sleep for now."
And with that, the party ended just as abruptly as it began. I killed the fire, Albert got the lights, Luka quickly washed and put away the glasses and we left the place.
Luka and Albert were in different directions, so I took Noa along with me.
We walked past the empty white houses all around as the auroras above lit our path.
"Been a minute," she said.
"Sure has." I answered. "It won't be now since you're next door and stuff."
"Yeah," she nodded. "It was quite boring with that teacher. I pretty much broke out of her house and threatened the principal to put me elsewhere."
I could imagine her doing just that.
We shared a light chat about the last three days, and then neared the houses. She really was right next to mine, on the second floor as well. It was at a distance where I could probably see her from one of the two windows in my room.
"We're neighbors now, huh?" she said.
"I look forward to it."
"I do too."
"Tell me if you need help, I'll go back for now."
"Yup!" Noa hopped back to her room, and I watched her go. Once she was gone, I climbed up my own stairs and entered my room.
"Took you a while," Dawn said inside.
I snapped the door shut and went over to the bed before laying down next to her. She gladly scooted over.
"Tiring… what a tiring day…"
Dawn turned to her side and placed her hand over me.
"A hot bath helps."
"Does it now?"
"Wanna try? I can use one too."
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