It was no secret to the others in the Hunting Party that Ikanbi was fickle. Erratic, whimsical, even toxic at times, Ikanbi lead a strange life compared to that of her peers. Still, the journey to the west had, so far, been most fruitful and she considered herself quite fortunate to have been in the type of company she had so far. Her mind wondered as she left the inn she had been staying at. Today was a special day, Kuvakiri had arrived from the North and Ikanbi and Sia were to meet up with her and have lunch to catch up.

Truly it had been some time since Ikanbi had laid eyes on her sister, and she so did look forward to their meeting of minds. She was sure Kuva had plenty of intel for the two of them. Even still, she had to admit that there wasn't really much to stop the three of them once they got together. She sipped her tea and waited, for she was the first to arrive, though she imagined the others would not be too terribly far behind.

A lot had transpired in the last few weeks for Sia. She had made a friend in Erebus, a mischievous individual with a hardy reputation for violence and chaos, which suited her just fine. In fact, she couldn't help but be ever so attracted to the man. His charismatic and evil presence just rubbed her in so the right way. She knew it was truly a shame that she would never fit in with Eternal Nightmare. Her thoughts races with wild ideas and fervish excitement, Sia wasn't entirely sure what her own next move should be, but she had great intel for Kuvakiri once she joined them.

Kuvakiri? Sia hadn't seen her in a long time. It would certainly be lovely for them to catch up. Sia made her way through the streets of Oak quietly, ignoring strangers that googly eyed her and eventually found Ikanbi in the tea shop just as she had anticipated.

"This should be fun." Sia said in Fioran as she sat down with Ikanbi and ordered a tea as well. "What do you think she's been up to?"

It had been a long journey from the north on foot, but Kuvakiri had made the journey anyway. It was much easier than she had originally anticipated, though she was admittedly very glad to be near her friends once again. Silently, she left from the small inn on the outskirts of town where she had arrived in the dead of night, feeling well refreshed after sleeping in a bed for the first time in weeks.

Her objective wasn't entirely clear, but she knew that the Witch she seeked would have great wisdom to impart on her, she always did. Kuvakiri made her way through the streets quietly, taking only a few steps out of the inn before immediately leaping a full six meters high into the air and landing on the building across the street from the inn. In the early dawn, she made her way to the designated tea shop where she was to meet with Ikanbi and Sia. She found she was the last to arrive, observing the two of them through the window from outside as she landed on the streets, descending from the rooftops above.

She waltzed into the shop and sat down with the both of them, and hugged the both of them very tightly as they stood to greet her. "It is good to see the both of you alive and well." She said in fioran before taking her seat. "What is it you wished to discuss with me?"

Ikanbi rose from her seat as Kuvakiri drew near and embraced her in an incredibly tight hug. "I am glad you are well, Kuva dear." She said to her softly as they returned to her seats. "You are business as usual I see, but let's catch up a bit first, no?" She said slyly and offered Kuva some of her "Calm The Fuck Down" Tea, sliding her cup and saucer across the table with a gentle push from her fingertips and was delighted that she decided to try some.

"Things have been strange since we arrived in the west, Kuva, and I am truthfully very glad that you are here. I've been establishing contacts across the area in preparations for our next retrieval mission, but...I think you specifically might have a good calling by joining up with one particular individual that Sia and I have bumped into recently." She took her tea back and finished the rest of it herself, "Erebus of Eternal Nightmare has proven to be a most resourceful ally to us and I think you could learn a lot from him." She said bluntly.

Sia rose from her seat just as Ikanbi did and gladly embraced the two of them in a hug, and was surprised at how much warmer Kuvakiri was than herself. Still, it was a nice moment for the three of them to come together again. She sat down and finished her tea, momentarily staying silent whilst Ikanbi spilled out some details of the invents that had transpired.

Now that the Hunting Party was back together again, Sia had to admit that things were looking as though they were about to take quite the upwards turn. The winds that had blown in from the North were ominous, and her recent pilgrimage to Castle Phantasm had been much more fruitful. As soon as Ikanbi mentioned Erebus however, Sia's attention was drawn back to the more present conversation and she stared down at her tea as her cheeks reddened. "Yeah...Erebus is definitely quite the character, I wouldn't mind spending a little more time with him myself if you know what I mean." Sia added and giggled with Ikanbi.

Without any hesitation, Kuva took the tea that was offered to her and found it to be surprisingly lovely to her senses. Soothing, warm, and refreshing, it perked her up most immediately. She hadn't realized she had been in such a foul mood, admittedly. She passed the rest of it back to Ikanbi and listened as she and Sia spouted off their own particular brands of nonsense.

So, it was suggested then that Kuvakiri take a darker walk in life. Truthfully, she already leaned towards the darker side of the Hunting Party, she was truly the most rambunctious, chaotic, and "evil" of the three of them. So, she had to admit that there was good logic to the idea that Ikanbi and Sia were presenting to her. She was silent for a moment, and thought to herself quietly as Ikanbi giggled at Sia's embarrassment over the mention of Erebus.

"Okay... I could use some more mischievous company than the two of you, you know the task that lies ahead of me... I don't want to get you any more involved than you have to be, I value your lives too much for you to perish trying to help me." She said pointedly in Fioran. "Do you think we could meet him today?"

Finally, they had gotten to the point of their little mischievous meeting of minds. Ikanbi smiled as Kuva spoke, very thankful that she took to the idea quickly and did not need much convincing one way or another. Truly, even if this meant Kuva would begin a dark walk in life it wouldn't affect their ability to work together. In fact, Ikanbi supposed it meant that things would be better for the three of them all the way around.

She finished the rest of her meal as Sia and Kuva did as well and the three of them continued to chat and catch up, talking about their prospective romantic interests and the network of associates the three of them were quickly establishing together. As they three of them made to leave the Tea Shop, Ikanbi paid the bill for the three of them as she usually did and thanked the waitress for their service.

Back on the streets, their conversation continued. "In any case, Erebus should be in the general area and has given us methods of contacting him should we need to. I wouldn't exactly call this situation an emergency, but definitely an opportunity. I think you'll like him a lot." Ikanbi lead the way, rounding corners and stalking the streets to the bar Erebus had mentioned to her. Eventually, she opened the door and let Sia and Kuvakiri inside first, following behind the two of them.

Spotting Erebus, she calmly walked through the bar, giving a gentle and polite smile to the bartender before sitting with Erebus. "It's good to see you again my friend," she opened with and bought everyone a round of stiff drinks. "There is someone important to me that I think you should meet. Erebus, this is Kuvakiri, my sister that just came in from the north."

Finishing up her meal, Sia found that she was unfortunately still a little hungry and so as the three of them left the tea shop she did reach into her little satchel and pull out a bright green apple. She took a bite from it and found that it was incredibly crisp, and only somewhat tart. As they walked, the stuck it out towards Ikanbi, whom took a bite out of the opposite side with a small laugh. It was Sia's way of making her shut up, by forcing her to stop and chew for a moment.

"Ah yes, you should see the way he works Kuva it's amazing. You stole all the equipment from the fighters in a tournament and rigged the the whole game so we came out on top even though I still can't use my magic yet. On that note, I did establish a contact in Fairy Tail in the hopes they will be able to fix me. I am not enjoying being cut off from my summons, as you know." Her face was visibly irritated as she mentioned this, but it quickly changed as Ikanbi began to speak again.

Sia sat across from Erebus once they arrived, sheepishly looking at him from across the table in the oh so very dimly lit room. Did he really have to be pretty on top of being the chaotic little bastard that he was? Surely the gods had smiled as they made that one. "Hello Erebus, uh, sir." Sia said nervously.

Rising from her seat with the others, she walked behind the two of them and nodded to the waitress as they left. As Ikanbi and Sia lead the way to their designated meeting place, Kuva scanned the streets behind them, nervously looking back often and making sure they were not being followed by anyone that might be up to no good.

At mention of Khalfani, Kuva began a very rich and hearty laugh, which surprised Ikanbi and Sia. "Yeah I bumped into Khalfani in the north actually. I was surprised at how easy it was to infiltrate. You'd be surprised the terrain I can scale with these. It...doesn't surprise me at all that you would fuck someone like him, Ikanbi." Kuvakiri tapped her bunny headband and leaped from the street to the rooftops in a single bound before hopping across the street to another building and getting a better view of the surrounding area. "The recon utility it has provided me has been a godsend, I won't lie to you."

As they neared the bar, she dropped back down to the street and entered the building with the other two, extending a hand in greeting to Erebus before she too sat down with the three of them. "I've heard good things about you, Erebus. I hear you're a man not to be taken lightly, and that bodes well for what I have ahead of me. These two, while lovely, are more pure an innocent than one that walks a life like you and I do, and for the tasks ahead of me I think I need to become involved with people on the darker side of life. Where I intend to go, whom I intend to kill, and what I intend to do, Sia and Ikanbi will surely die if they come with me." She hadn't mentioned quite that much to Ikanbi and Sia previously and smiled at the two of them as she noticed their alarmed expressions.

Erebus threw back a shot when Ikanbi slid into the stool chair beside him. He was about an hour in deep here, relaxing after a successful week of doing whatever it is Erebus wants. Just shy of having brought in about 5 million this month which went to the coffers of his guild and would eventually be used to his advantage— to say he was just some working force for his friends was nothing short of incomprehensible, he was far beyond and above a worker— Erebus was dedicated to his craft as a Nightmare.

Yes, the Rogue was constantly on the go and so it almost felt like he’d never even left them in Baska a few days back— he often didn’t leave Oak unless specific emergency or requests were made, knowing that the politics of Fiore were a shitsorm currently. After all, EN was attacked in their own Guild Hall, their home city. The place they were beloved and perhaps the only place they weren’t labeled poorly, to assume he wouldn’t get jumped elsewhere however, was a child’s optimism. He was the most wanted man standing in this continent...

This didn’t mean he was afraid, just wise. If you were wondering where he felt on things currently, Erebus was somewhere impatient within himself, just thinking on recent years. He was impatient in life, having come this far, he wondered if he’d always be hunted for stealing the King’s Dragon Book. Entities of light and dark sought that desirable treat of rewards.

Short on actually knowing the Rogue, he was often met with challengers. His feeling was stalwart in shape despite his unusally cruel antics and behaviour. It was as if he needed to protect something crucial from a far reach, and yet was so desperate to reach it, but never could. He believed in new ideals, fresh ones— targeted attacks and offensives were just a slew of topics he was relating back on mentally as he grew tipsy before the sight of the beauties. The voice of Ikanbi was easily worth relieving those invasive thoughts however. Being the talker she was, her voice was appreciated.

He turns to her and then slightly behind her, to greet eyes with Sia as she sat across the table from him and then behind her at the standing Kuvakiri. “I see you two have a friend.” He started with a small grin, before Ikanbi’s hand pushed another stiff drink his way, in between her dialogue.

Before Steel, Erebus had rarely drunk, but this was Odin’s Pub, so why not. In the last few years, his polarity as a man came together sharply and he found it to be the best antidote for emotion. Instead of talking through his inner demons, Erebus suppressed them. They were simply weapons to fuel his War on the Kingdom. His war for a new name, a reputable identity...

Alcohol, in itself, was merely a potion. So resisting it’s foul taste for the sweet distraction of a good time was always appreciated.

He was geared to the teeth as normal, his face fully visible. He didn't wear a helmet, and really only donned a metal chest piece and a cloak over his loose tunic. He spoke up again, swigging the alcohol. “Oh, not a friend. A sister—“ Erebus quickly stares at the two of them. They had no similarities in appearance and yet were all noteworthy in the physical department.

Good genes ran aplenty in their household, he reckoned to himself. “If you’re anything like these two then the pleasure is all mine Kuva.” He shortened her name down, speaking to her as if they were old friends off the reputation of her sister’s names alone. Erebus then shoots a glance to Sia. “It’s always good seeing you. Sorry I didn’t stick around to see you two get that belt. I do hope you’ll forgive that.” He said, his eyes then fell back to his alcohol, there wasn’t too much drunkenness to him, but clearly. His mood was delighted and high in spirits, so Erebus would gladly entertain them and their request.

“I was guessing you ladies were here about the summoning, fill me in a little more?” He figured things up shortly if they informed him, as he hadn’t actually known Kuva’s situation whatsoever, however he’d listen with attention to things that were explained between the three clearly. Erebus was quite particulate and always down to help those he found worthy of trust. However, in Kuva specifically, she would be forced to associate with his criminal connections and other Nightmare subjects— whom weren’t safe by any means— even if they were all just people and could be understood.

Kuva seemed ready for this however, life is about risk after all and if there is risk... There’s always bigger rewards. Kuvakiri’s words were taken to heart as she spoke, for a job application, she had his mind made up.

“Kuva— this life you’re setting out for is far more grim than just worrying about death as it stands now, and I’d like to make sure you know how to survive it... You’ll lose things that may not come so obvious right now. Such as aspects of who you are, your mental health and where your heart lies, and in general you will be under scrutiny for attack for the rest of your life. If you know this already and can accept this, you can join me in Eternal Nightmare.” He paused, and the dim light above them flickers ominously. “Those who betray Eternal Nightmare are subject to be killed mercilessly, so before you sign your soul over to me— realize we’ll own you, it took me a decade in the abyss to come to those terms, and I’d hate to lie to you now.”

Ikanbi had to admit she didn't have a whole lot to say anymore. It would be up to Kuva to decide how best to approach this part of the task on hand, though she did add some insight in that, "We're not actually sisters, we're just very close, like Sia and I. We usually all three travel together, actually." She said to Erebus, taking a sip from her drink. She found that, for liquor, it was surprisingly not harsh, she didn't shudder at all as she drank it, which admittedly surprised her. Wine was, truly, usually more of her forte. She looked around as the other's conversed and took in the finer features of the bar. A cozy little thing, she had to admit, for its dimly lit atmosphere.

"From my standpoint, I was hoping that you would offer her some sort of protection, a reassurance to myself that she will indeed be in good hands. You specifically, I am not terribly worried about being foul to her, especially if she is under our wing, but the other notorious people that I've heard you associate with do worry me a little." Ikanbi said plainly with a gentle smile. "Sometimes people can be quite unpredictable after all, no?"

"I would really hate to lose her." Ikanbi said finally.

Ikanbi had ordered the lot of them some drinks, to which Sia happily obliged, she took one drink, then another, and downed them haphazardly with all caution to the wind. She made quite the face on the second one, finding it to have quite a bit of burn in her throat, more than she had anticipated. She gazed at Erebus from across the table and stared at his beautiful, beautiful face. "We are all on the hunt for the people that cursed me, for they have also stolen many precious artifacts from our little hideout that we once had going for us." She wondered how much information she should really leak on the matter, but then decided that if she was going to leak it to anyone, Erebus was the ideal person to have involved.

"I lost access to my magic when I was cursed to sleep for many years in a tomb in Samhain. Eventually, a rather odd vampire named Ezekiel happened to disrupt the sleeping curse, but since I have awakened I have found that my magical items, artifacts, relics, and books had been stolen, obviously, but that also I myself am completely incapable of utilizing magic at the moment for whatever reason or another. Most of these items were not necessarily mine, some of them belonged to me, some of them to Kuva and some of them to Ikanbi's family."

She took another sip of her drink. "For me, I care significantly less about recovering the artifacts, as my priority one is regaining access to my magic, which, I am hoping the Fairy Tail Guild will be able to help me with, and so I have begun establishing contacts there in the hopes of good fortune." Sia became silent then and finished the drink. "But one the time comes, I too will likely rejoin the two of you on the wild side of things. I am old, and I do not like being slighted by beings that are lesser than me. In time, I will surely wreak vengeance on those that have wronged me.

Silently, calmly, and well poised, Kuva sat with the others as Erebus, Ikanbi, and Sia talked a bit, before Erebus more fully turned his attention towards Kuva, leading into the conversation with a fair bit of warning for what might lie ahead for her. She was not surprised in any sense of the word. She knew what she was getting into. She knew that joining up with Eternal Nightmare meant there was no going back, that there would be lines she would cross that she had never even dreamed of before.

She imagined it would taint her very soul, corrupt her from within. She imagined, as Sia had mentioned to her, that over time, the more time she spent away from Sia and Ikanbi, the worse her own personality was likely to change. These were all things that Sia and Kuva had talked about before, before any of them had ever made their west in the first place. It wasn't exactly a new idea. Hearing the same things come out of Erebus' mout though, the same realizations and expectations, presented to her by a man that lived the life that she was likely to lead, the thought terrified her, and she otherwise wasn't really afraid of anything.

"I will do whatever it takes to protect Ikanbi and Sia, even if it means meeting death at the hands of your associates, Erebus." She said and made eye contact with him for the first time, followed with a smile. "I imagine that associating with you will make my life, on average, much harder than it would be if I didn't, but... I believe in doing what will be right for the three of us, and if that means I must pervert my heart with darkness, then that is exactly what I am going to do."

”Lost in Samhain? Strange place to lose all your valuables,” truly, in the reality of the fabricated known. Erebus has always been returned home on Samhain’s departure during Hallow’s Eve; but he never knew or understood how. It could be an implanted memory to deceive her, however— he wouldn’t know for sure, or comment toward that.

Erebus listened without interruption or deliberation to convince or confuse Kuvakiri to the world of darkness. She would see some very disgusting things down this road, maybe hopefully- the best sides of life were still waiting for Erebus, and in turn his view a little dreadful. A better tomorrow was his reason for ever being in Eternal Nightmare to begin with. So far, a family to protect had driven him this far too... 

Erebus shakes the feeling away, causing him to pay more attention to the drain of Courpsemourn on his skin, which left his hairs across his jawline in sudden goosebumps. He felt cold to the touch suddenly, perhaps especially cold today as he was just previously light and hardy from the drinks. Erebus couldn’t explain it, it was almost like his body would malfunction at times. He wrote it off as general stress but really, he knew it was only active when he wore his drape— the power of life and deathhad consequences. 

But that bitch cost two million, so ain’t no one taking that thing off.

Erebus nodded to Ikanbi and finally spoke, he came to understand that Kuva was needed a protector— a mentor in this game, to which he obliged. He would do his best to uphold the responsibility of keeping her alive until she could defend herself on par with the strongest of mages. Past that point, if the darkness ate her heart out, and she came to stand against him. Erebus would quickly show girl just what inner sociopath sat in front of them all, he only existed now to stand and make war.

His blood was golden with the prophecy of death as all who faced his wraith would know. Ruling this land was nothing to Erebus, but to conquer and expell all who stood before a perfect world that he sat at the top of? He was the first to agree in reversing the status quo of the World.. In time, it would rewrite history, and he would tell his tale as a God. But today, he was a Beautiful Nightmare. 

Erebus put it on Ikanbi and Sia’s life and reputation that such betrayal didn’t happen. Under his protection, Kuva was to obey instruction as well, Erebus would show that in time. “Take my hand, your soul will be one with the Guild.” 


Erebus extended a hand to out take hers, long black fingernails painted thick like a devil’s were hovering over the table. If she took it, he’d use his power as one of the Founders— to burn the Guild’s unholy Sigil into a remote part of her body, her choice which she would feel the most pain in. This burn induced would be like agony, or one short euphoric twist of the senses, that was to say— if she was anything like Erebus when he received the gift of Nightmare, he felt euphoria at tasting dark power. Otherwise, it would just be painful like it was for most anyways.

Ikanbi listened silently as Sia rambled on and tattered information to Erebus about their situation. Normally, Ikanbi was the one that did the most speaking, but truthfully, it had been appropriate for Sia to do the talking today. It was good for her, she needed to open up more, especially if she wanted to get closer to Erebus in any capacity. Ikanbi reached into Sia's bag and took out an apple without saying a word about it. She made no effort to hide her actions, making it apparent that she wasn't a petty thief and that this sort of behavior was likely common amongst the three of them.

She looked at the apple for a moment and then took Kuva's knife from her waist and cut it into slices, then put one of them into Sia's mouth so that she would stop talking and let Kuva and Erebus get down to business properly.

She looked back and forth between Kuva and Erebus for a moment and truly paid no attention to Ikanbi as she took an apple and cut it up. She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by a slice of apple Ikanbi swiftly tucked onto her tongue. She shot Ikanbi a most heinous expression but she did understand the intention. She chewed and drew silent then, but did wave down the bartender for another drink. She may as well, the show was Kuva's for now and Sia didn't see why she couldn't let loose for a little while.

After all, it wasn't often that she had a day off, so to speak, so a bit of drunken relaxation did sound quite appealing in the moment. She wondered then where Kuva might want her tattoo, and wondered further just how much of a target it might make the three of them for Kuva to be involved in Eternal Nightmare. She shoved the thought aside. It didn't matter. Ultimately, it was for the greater good, the spirits had never lead the three of them astray.

There wasn't much left to say. Beginning now, Kuva would take a different path than her sisters. She would walk on the wild side. Whilst Ikanbi and Sia played in the light, Kuva would be there right beside them, always lurking in the shadows. She had some thoughts on what might be in store for her, and she certainly had plans for great things, things which would be much easier with powerful allies to protect her from the darkness. In time, she wondered if the darkness wouldn't take over her heart entirely.

Maybe she would like it? Maybe the power the darkness had to offer would be everything Kuva had ever desired. Maybe the opportunity being provided here was exactly what she needed. In fact, Kuva was sure of it. It wasn't even a question, honestly. Kuva, above all things, desired power these days. If she had to stain her soul black, then so be it. She didn't hesitate, there was no caution in her movement. Her right hand reached out and grasped Erebus' hand. "You are surprisingly cold Ereb-," She began to say but cut herself off as she felt hot needles stabbing into her back between her collarbones. At first, it hurt even more than the sun Khalfani had just thrown at her. She relaxed, and found that the sensation wasn't truly that terrible after all as a fire washed over her eyes along with a wicked grin. "So...Where should I go now?" She asked Erebus. "I suppose a journey to the Guild Hall is probably not a terrible idea, no?"

Erebus pushes back on his chair and took to his feet, a long satchel from the back of the table was slung over his shoulder diagonally. There was little emotion depicted on his person, but what was there seemed to smile it’s lips back at the girl, the one formally free of sin— now a Nightmare. “This life you live will certainly change you.” He simply said, before looking over to Ikanbi and Sia. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll be taking a quest. You two are invited,”

Taking steps away from them, a massive prescience lifts the room on his exit. Things are brighter, the folk music is louder, there is less attention on the location. Strangely enough, the Nightmare would feel a pull on her being, calling her to take to her new home. Erebus however wouldn’t stop to show her any fast directions if she didn’t get a move on quickly.

-Exit-