Bel: The Exodus (Invite Only, Sensitive Subjects)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel was still looking Kaiba in the eye when he heard a voice that he (and Atsuro) recognized. Calling the name he had hardly used in the past three months. He stepped out of the chair he was sitting in, and walked toward Yuugi as the shorter teen approached. Atsuro stood up as well, and took up a position next to Abel. It was possible that Yuugi and Atem might recognize him from one of the pictures that had been in K1's wallet before, though that picture had since been replaced with one of Abel and Seth.

Abel had ended up looking past Yuugi and Atem at Souji of all people, though. He narrowed his eyes. He didn't know what had changed, but he was sensing something dangerous from Souji. And Souji, at the same time, was glaring at Abel. Souji knew from first glance that there was something horribly wrong and dangerous about K1 now. The first clue had been those lifeless eyes.

Abel waited for Souji to break the gaze to look down at Yuugi before saying anything to his once-friend.

"Hello, Yuugi," Abel said. "It's nice to see you, isn't it?"

Atsuro was examining the group before him now. Abel hadn't been kidding. Standing right there were Yuugi and Atem. As separate people. What a mind screw. He didn't recognize the other three people, though. But the one with the bleached blond hair looked like he wanted to kick Abel's ass.

Souji had gone from glaring at Abel to glaring at "Naoya" now. The bastard had gotten his wish, Souji knew it. This wasn't K1 at all now. This was nothing but the King of Bel, the demon Abel.

[mugenginga]

Yuugi's face fell a bit when K1 addressed him. No honorific, and he knew Atem's way of speaking well enough to know the difference between not using one for closeness and not using one for coldness. K1 was not using one for the latter. It hadn't been years, K1 still looked around seventeen. But his eyes were so empty, and Yuugi found himself frowning.

He looked away, "Y-yeah... How are you?"

This was different than a person he'd never met. That would have felt kinder. This was a person... this was cold. It wasn't even hate, although Yuugi thought maybe he felt traces of that. He hoped he was imagining it. Why would K1 hate him? They hadn't split that well, but...

Atem was less concerned about the honorific and more concerned about the almost condascending words Abel was using. "isn't it?" Almost as if he were looking down on Yuugi. Even before, near the end when things had been tense, he hadn't seemed to look down on Yuugi. He narrowed his gaze a bit more. Abel couldn't read minds, but he'd be able to tell Atem was warning him about how he was treating his Partner. He hadn't seen the image in the wallet, so he couldn't recognize Atsuro. And Yuugi was too concerned feeling the chill to think about that. Was this really what had become of K1...?

Seth looked sadly at Yuugi. He'd heard the way Abel had spoke. Maybe he was right. Maybe Abel really had seen the group for conflict. He noticed Abel react negatively to Souji, and looked up. Souji was a human, so he doubted it had anything to do with that. It had to be something only a demon could pick up on, though.

Cain gave a cool look towards Souji. That glare was a rather impressive attempt at being intimidating. Even back when he'd humored the world as Naoya, it wouldn't have phased him. But he knew it would most people. He allowed the corner of his lip to raise ever so slightly. It was a definite smirk, and while it was the type most would miss, he knew how observant Souji was. He wouldn't miss it.

Kaiba was watching the scene. Abel had claimed to be Yuugi's friend, but that ice was the same thing he'd been feeling when he'd pretended to befriend Yuugi before. Except Abel was showing it outwardly. Even Yuugi, who Kaiba had often thought of in annoyed terms as a puppy. No matter how many times you kicked him, he'd keep coming back as stupidly happy as ever. Right now, even that personality was pulling back a bit. "Friends" indeed. His face was hard to read as he watched the proceedings.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel didn't react to the look Atem was giving him. He wasn't afraid of the tanned teenager, and Abel knew that he could easily overpower Atem now if Atem tried to attack him for whatever reason. His expression didn't change as he replied to Yuugi's question.

"Tired, I suppose. These past few months have been rather busy. The demons didn't exactly take the revelation that their new king was a human too well," Abel said. "What about all of you? Something's obviously happened, you people can't go five minutes without getting into trouble."

Atsuro didn't like how Abel was talking. There had been a bit more of a friendly tone in there... for about two seconds. He didn't like how Abel kept taunting Yuugi either. Especially with the look Atem was giving Abel. Anyone who had watched the show knew that if something bad happened to Yuugi, it tended to set Atem off. And Atem getting mad tended to equal people dying. Or at least it did in the first series, the one that hadn't been all about card games. But that wasn't considered canon, as far as Atsuro knew.

Souji's glare deepened at the smirk Naoya was giving him. He knew none of the others had noticed, but Souji definitely had.

I don't like him, Izanagi stated.

Finally something we can agree on, Souji said back. He looked over at Naoya. "Well, Naoya, I hope you're proud of yourself. Congratulations. You've corrupted your cousin and made him into your own little plaything to battle God. It's clear to me that K1 doesn't even exist anymore thanks to you. Just some demon wearing his skin."

Abel's glare shot toward Souji at that. "Be quiet, Souji."

[mugenginga]

Abel didn't react towards Atem. No, Atem knew that wasn't true. Abel made a point of not reacting to him, and it wasn't to seem confident. The thing was, if Abel were the demon king, Atem didn't doubt fighting him would be a bad idea. Especially since those with him would likely be defending him, even if some of them would possibly do so with reluctance. The teenager with the hat he didn't know and K2 were the ones that wouldn't want to but would anyways, he suspected.

Yuugi didn't answer. He'd picked up a bit at the friendlier tone, but it had dropped quickly. Yuugi was not as gullible as many people made him out to be. He knew by this point he was being played with. He tried to look Abel in the eyes, but found himself diverting the gaze within seconds. It wasn't that they had the horrid lifeless look Jounouchi had worn when Malik had used the Millenium Rod on him. It didn't help, but it wasn't that. It was a combination of everything. He didn't want to admit it, but he had a feeling there was very little, if anything, of K1 left there.

"I doubt it is anything you'd find yourself needing to be concerned with," Atem replied flatly. He was still staring at Abel. Unlike Yuugi, he'd maintain the uncomfortable return gaze.

Cain opened his mouth. He had a whole speech to give Souji. His name was not Naoya, it never was. It was Abel's choice to take the throne. If Abel hadn't, he would have supported him. Possibly even a snide compliment about noticing the lack of K1. But Abel responded before he got words out, and perhaps the most unsettling thing of the entire encounter would occur.

The man that had once been known as Naoya Kimura's first action was to glance at Abel. There was a level of caution, perhaps nervousness as he did so. And then he gave a light shrug and closed his mouth. As in Naoya, as Souji had known him, had gotten cowed at Abel's tone. And backed off. He returned his focus to Souji, allowing the other silver haired person to realize he still felt smug about Souji's actions.

Seth, however, wasn't as smart, "Don't say that," he warned, his voice bordering on a growl, "K1 still exists..."

Kaiba had rolled his eyes at about the time Souji attempted to insult the teen whose name was apparently Naoya. Battle God? Demons? It wasn't that it wasn't possible considering their location. And perhaps demon was the best word for that thing in that vision of Ancient Egypt. However, Kaiba wasn't going to accept something that fanciful just yet. It was true he was more inclined to lend credence to such stories lately, but that didn't mean he embraced them with open arms.

Yuugi didn't look like he wanted to be there anymore, and it was clear Atem was clashing with K1 by his comments. K1. A demon. Like Zorc. The thought that K1 was that become that was painful. K2 had claimed that K1 still existed, but Yuugi wasn't quite sure. The Pendant was reacting to the nearby darkness a bit much. Maybe K1 did exist, but if he did, he was still angry. Atem broke his gaze with Abel and looked over at Yuugi. He looked concerned.

As for the Pendant, Abel would be noticing things he hadn't before. It wasn't merely gods that would realize there was something less than "light" about the Pendant. Or any of the Millenium Items, but the only one in the vicinity was the Pendant formerly known as the Puzzle. After all, the emergence of the demon Zorc had been related to the creation of the Items. So there was considerable darkness there, and no self-respecting demonic king would be unaware of it.

(OOC: What Atem's doing is no worse than what he does in the anime. So unless Atsuro regarded Puzzleshipping as canon (unlikely, he's a teenager boy. XD) nothing is special here. Yeah, Atem's perhaps overprotective but that and shipping aren't the same thing. I'll let you know when things that blur or break the lines of what would happen in the anime occur - Aside from the whole seperate body thing. XD)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji looked surprised as Naoya backed off. Naoya had backed away from Abel (at this point, Souji wasn't even calling him K1 anymore. That wasn't K1, and he knew it). There was something like caution toward Abel now, something Naoya hadn't had toward K1. Though it was clear Naoya still was feeling smug about Souji's actions.

Atsuro stepped forward a bit as the silver-haired teen had said K1 didn't exist anymore. Seth and Atsuro were the two who understood how wrong Souji was the most. "Yeah, he's still in there. You don't know everything, you can't say anything!"

Souji fell into a glare at Atsuro and K2. Souji didn't know who the boy with the hat was, but he appeared to be a close friend of K1's from the interactions so far. "Oh yeah? Then explain why he's acting like this! I knew K1, and this isn't him."

Naoto didn't like where this was going. The fact that Souji seemed to be taking what had happened with K1 to make him change like this very personally didn't seem to be helping.

Abel hadn't moved from where he was standing. "Seth, Atsuro, you don't have to defend me. And Atem, I think it is something I need to be concerned with. Especially considering what I keep sensing from Souji." Abel wasn't too concerned about the dark presence from the puzzle; it was Souji that was bothering him at the moment.

And of course, Abel's words were the trigger for Souji to tense up. He took a step back.

[mugenginga]

Seth opened his mouth to object. To try and find some feasible argument against Souji. One that wouldn't get him into trouble. He didn't think mentioning that Souji had not seen the "demon Abel" yet was a good idea. Even though Seth didn't blame Abel for that incident, he knew K1 did. He didn't really have a chance to come up with something usable before Abel told him and Atsuro he could take care of himself. Seth looked pained. He looked at his feet and said nothing more.

Yuugi had never liked confrontations. He took them when he had to, when one of his friends were in grave danger. Was that the case now? It didn't seem it, but it was possible. Atem was clearly upset with Abel at this point, anyone could see that. Kaiba was focusing on him and Abel now, but was still a bit aways from the group. He was curious how Atem was going to handle this by this point.

"There is nothing that you need to concern yourself with. Worry about your own court, King of Bel."

"A-Atem!"

That had been Yuugi. Even with how tense things were, there was no need to be that rude. He saw that shift in Atem's stance. Even Atsuro would be hard pressed to recognize it. Really, only traces of it had shown up in the anime. During the final major arc, known as either the Egypt Arc or the Dawn of the Duel Arc. Atem had shifted into Pharaoh mode, and once again the only thing detracting from it was the lack of cloak. Yuugi swallowed hard. There really wasn't a need to act like this!

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at the shift in Atem's stance. Even he had to admit the so-called spirit of the Pharaoh actually looked like a ruler there. He turned his focus to Abel. The blue haired teenager had reacted poorly to simply being told to keep his friend in line. How would he react to something like this...?

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Atsuro noted the lack of the usage of "the other me" in regards to Atem on Yuugi's end. Okay, that was odd. But the fact that Atem was directly confronting Abel at this point was even more worrying. Even though Cain had said the moon was waning, Abel was acting more like it was getting close to a full moon. It was odd and concerning behavior.

Abel fell into a glare at Atem, which was a worrying show of emotion. And then something happened that was even more concerning, considering the typical situations in which this happened. Abel's eyes slitted. Atsuro took a couple steps back. Oh, fuck.

Souji's eyes widened as he saw the slitted pupils. That was definite enough proof of a demon to him. And it was creepy.

"You will not order me around, you love-struck, weak, overprotective Pharaoh. I reserve the right to find out what is going on at the place I stayed at for over a month, especially considering one of you people said something about a 'Fall' before we left. A possible end of the world, something that he was trying to prevent. I forget his name," Abel growled. Now, the love-struck thing was just something he'd thought up based on some of Atem's actions before they left. He hadn't been around when they admitted things to each other, after all. "But, in any case, you will not tell me what to do, Atem."

Atsuro hadn't been planning on stopping Abel if he had attacked Atem. Atsuro wasn't sure he could. So he was surprised when Abel's eyes returned back to their lifeless look on their own. Right, Abel was more human right now. Those kind of bloodfests hadn't happened as often as they used to after that incident on the second full moon. And Seth was nearby. Abel was probably realizing he didn't need to attack Atem. Though Abel hadn't seemed to have that same kind of restraint with Kaiba before.

[mugenginga]

Yuugi took a few steps back as well. Seth seemed to lock up. He tried to tell himself that the one step back he took was to give Abel room. Not out of fear, for room. He was only partially convinced. Atem seemed perhaps a bit surprised at the insults Abel chose to use. Of course, K1 had been there when Yuugi basically glomped him inside the TV World. And he doubted it had been nothing if not obvious to those observing their interactions. There was the weak line, which bothered him. Even he had to give grounds that perhaps overprotective was not that far off the mark. But he didn't move.

Kaiba had taken a step forward before stopping himself. No, if Atem needed his help he really was weak. But the hard to read expression had changed to anger when Abel had called Atem weak. Calling Atem weak was calling him weak, and he was not weak. He was showing all his irritation at this point as he continued to watch the proceedings. He hadn't been able to see the eyes from his angle, though.

"Nor will you demand information from my friends," Atem stated, just as flatly.

He was doing a better job keeping his emotions in check than Abel. Although really, he didn't have a demon essence to worry about. The tension in the air was thick. Yuugi looked really concerned, but he knew Atem wouldn't take well to being told to back down. No one's life was in danger, but Yuugi couldn't get rid of the annoying "yet" that followed that thought in his mind. No one's life was in danger... yet. Yuugi hesitated for a moment.

"A lot of stuff happened!" Yuugi said, finding himself braver than he expected to at getting the words out, "Please stop fighting! We're just sensitive about it so we're a little defensive!"

Atem broke his gaze with Abel at that. He took a step back and looked at Yuugi. It had been... he couldn't remember the last time he'd not taken Yuugi's feelings into account. The incident with the Orichalchos Seal didn't count, he had taken Yuugi's feelings into account then. He'd just done so and disregarded them. They hadn't even crossed his mind here.

"Partner..." he said. Of course, this had to be tearing Yuugi's kind heart into shreds.

Seth glanced back towards Abel. He had loosened a bit when Abel had let the slits drop. He doubted Atem knew the dangerous path he was walking. And just because he wasn't locked up didn't mean he wasn't tense. The situation wasn't over yet. Yuugi was trying to diffuse it in his own manner. Maybe it would work...?

(OOC: The fanboy in Atsuro might be reacting to the "Aibou" line Atem just pulled. XD Yuugi may not be going "mou hitori no boku" but Atem is still going "Aibou". XD You know, even if he can't act on it, he might be reacting to it inside.)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Atsuro noted the "partner." Okay, so Yuugi wasn't using "the other me" anymore, but Atem was still using "partner". That was inter-- no, no! Abel was on the brink of killing Atem, this is not the time for that train of thought. He refocused on the situation at hand.

Abel finally relaxed a bit at Yuugi's words. He didn't know how Yuugi had worked up the courage to stand against him, but Yuugi had given him a proper explanation for why they weren't saying anything instead of what Atem had been saying.

"Sensitive?" Abel asked. "Would you rather we discuss this in private?"

That was a different tone from before, Naoto noted. Abel seemed to be a bit more willing to be civil now. Though the people on Abel's side seemed to still be rather tense.

Souji still didn't like the looks of things, though. Probably it was just the way Abel rubbed him.

[mugenginga]

Yuugi looked a bit startled at how quickly K1 settled down again. It was a bit frightening, the swings he seemed to be having. He thought for a moment, and Atem gave him the ground to speak. He had never been all that good at knowing when a situation called for the carrot or the stick, and it seemed the former was what this one needed. He watched Yuugi as he saw several thoughts pass through his Partners mind before he nodded.

"We should talk with Arisato-kun and Ryoji-kun," Yuugi said, "They know more about the situation than we do. Oh, Arisato-kun is the one whose name you can't remember... and you only met Ryoji-kun once..."

The last night he'd been there. Yuugi didn't think it was a good idea to bring that up. He was sure K1 was still upset. As for forgetting Minato's name, he wasn't sure what to do with that. Then again, with how K1 was now, he was sure more than a short time had passed. Not just K1. Naoya and K2, as well. Naoya seemed more subdued, although no less cruel. K2 seemed... scared? Yuugi realized that was the right word. He seemed scared of the situation, possibly K1 himself.

"Oh, I'm Mutou Yuugi. This is Atem, Seta Souji-kun, Shirogane Naoto-chan, and Tatsumi Kanji-kun. That's Kaiba Seto-kun. It's nice to meet you," Yuugi bowed to Atsuro and Kaido, motioning towards Kaiba who was still standing near by.

Kaiba looked annoyed that Yuugi had felt the need to introduce him. He did make note of the names of those Yuugi had introduced though. After Yuugi was done he turned to walk away. The situation seemed over and he had better things to do. If he'd been forced to answer what, he wouldn't have been able to. But anything was better than watching Yuugi like this. Somehow or another the short teenager had managed to diffuse the situation. Probably explain it with one of his stupid friendship talks.

Kaido rolled his eyes at the introductions. He didn't care. It certainly wasn't a polite return. Seth glanced at Abel before giving a nod of his head. It wasn't a full bow, but it was an attempt at being polite. Everyone here had met him and his brothers. It was likely they'd be using different names then he and his siblings now used. For himself and Abel, that wouldn't be too much of a problem. Cain probably wouldn't respond, though, so...

Cain got to it first, "This is the King of Bel, Abel. I am the General of Bel, Cain and that is the Prince of Bel, Seth. Those two are his majesty's Enforcer and Captain of the Royal Guard, Kaido and Kihara Atsuro respectively. That's the demon Nyarlathotep."

He didn't bow, though. Yuugi blinked a few times. Abel, Cain, Seth? Did they expect to be called by those names? Atem looked mildly annoyed, but he didn't say anything. He was focusing on Abel. He had a feeling that none of the others would do much without permission from the "King". The tension rose a bit in the air again.

"W-we should probably go now..." Yuugi said. He didn't want things to collapse like they had before.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Abel looked around at the group that Yuugi had introduced, and regarded them all with the same flat expression he'd been giving pretty much everyone when he wasn't raging. The girl Atsuro totally believed was male (Abel knew this was a fact) gave a small bow to Atsuro and Kaido, and the taller teen with the bleached hair didn't give much of a reaction besides "'Sup." Kanji clearly still didn't like the majority of Abel's group, Abel himself included.

"Yes, let's go. Also, Atsuro, since I know you're dying to go talk to Yuugi and Atem by this point, go right ahead," Abel said. He didn't turn to look toward the five; he had learned by this point it was bad to be the one to break the gaze. And with how Atem had been glaring at him, Abel wasn't about to do so himself.

Atsuro blinked at at Abel's comment. "Really?"

"Did I stutter?" Abel said. "I'm not going to go on some kind of killing rampage or anything like that. Go satisfy your otaku urges and talk to Yuugi."

Atsuro grinned. That actually had sounded like K1. Not completely like him; it wasn't that close to a new moon, but considering Abel had become relaxed enough to actually say such things, it was clear that some of the tension had lifted. Though the tension between Atem and Abel was still there.

Souji raised an eyebrow. The way Abel had put his response to Atsuro was odd. "Killing rampage"? That implied things. Like that Abel had gone on them before. But on the other hand, they were going to talk to Minato and Ryoji. Souji didn't know how Abel would react to finding out the world they had gone to for a vacation was heading toward its end.

[mugenginga]

Seth lost the tension he'd gained during the encounter. Now he was just guarded, but those that knew him would know that's how he now was. It wasn't all that different from how he'd been that last day he'd been on the Island. Then Yuugi had thought it was a result of the encounter with Belphegor. The wounds he'd had were a clear indication of things. That would change anyone's personality.

Atem had looked back up as Abel told Atsuro he wasn't going to go on a killing rampage. It would have been one thing had he said he wasn't going to kill anyone. But rampage? Even at his worst, Atem had only targeted individuals. He heard the shift in Abel's voice as he he mentioned otaku urges. He would have sighed and had a look of mock irritation if the situation wasn't still so tense. He chose to look over towards where Atsuro was. It was likely both he and his Partner were going to get hit with a barrage of questions now. Even Minato had been nice enough to not pressure them about their pasts.

Yuugi had relaxed more than anyone, though. He couldn't convince himself, at least not for real, that it was still all K1. But there was some K1, and he seemed to be the prominent side right now. He looked up and blinked as he heard Atsuro trying not to rush over to him the instant K1 suggested it. He looked a bit embarassed. This was as bad as being told to speak at Duel Monsters events. There they thought they knew him. He had a feeling Atsuro knew him a bit too well. Even his close friends didn't know everything he and Atem talked about and such. He put on a grin when he saw Atsuro looking towards him, though.

Kaido rolled his eyes and headed after the group as they advanced forward. Atem was staying a bit close to Yuugi. Maybe he was overprotective, but the situation was also rather tense. Seth was almost smiling, his eyes proving how many levels of focus could exist by being a bit more in focus. Cain was right behind them, and Kaido was in the rear. Nyarlathotep glanced at Abel. He doubted he could say anything to Souji right now without annoying the King. Not that he minded if Abel lost it on the current group, but it would be a bit of a hassle. So he kept position next to Cain. Kaiba had already left the area in the opposite direction of the Apartments.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Atsuro walked up next to Yuugi and Atem, and he was managing to hold back the glittering fanboy look a bit better than he had with Kaiba. Mainly because of how tense the previous situation had been. Now really didn't seem like an appropriate time to talk about some of the things he really wanted to ask.

"I'm sorry about Abel earlier... He was in a better mood before we got here," Atsuro said in a low voice to Yuugi. He didn't want to talk loud enough that everyone could hear him, though he was sure that Abel probably could hear him. "Um... oh, and I've just gotta say I've always been a fan of you guys. Though I've never been too good at the card game."

Souji lagged behind the rest of the group a bit as he walked. He was trying to talk to Izanagi without being bothered. And he was sure that this demon that K1 was now would have noticed him if he stayed too close to the group.

That demon gives me the creeps. Are you sure you don't know anything about it? Souji asked.

You keep forgetting that our knowledge is linked. If I knew anything, you would have picked up on some of it by now. But I agree, there's something off about that Nyarlathotep. And I feel I should know that name from somewhere, Izanagi said. More concerning to me is the change that has overcome the Kimura boy. He had been acting differently after he defeated Belphegor, but it was nothing like this.

Naoya, or Cain, as I guess he wants to be called now, has to have something to do with it. Probably more than something, Souji growled.

This is certainly a bad time for them to return. We don't need to deal with the King of Bel and his court right now, Izanagi said. Souji agreed. This was just even more of a problem.

[mugenginga]

Yuugi looked rather embarassed. Yup, definently like those tournaments Kaiba held. KC Grand Prix to be specific. He'd wanted to make himself very small then. This was a case of one person rather than a whole stadium. He supposed he logically knew he was famous. Even that it had something to do with defeating Kaiba. While that had been Atem, not him, the world at large had no way to know that. And it wasn't a case of one on one asking for deck help. He was better with that. Also, he remembered that card shop. The card game Atsuro knew was probably different than Duel Monsters.

"Th-thanks..." Yuugi said, "Ah... I'm really not used to getting this much attention..."

"Go ahead and ask, Atsuro," Atem said, possibly surprising the black haired teenager, "It's easier if you just ask now. Honestly, you look like you're going to burst from holding it in."

Atem doubted he needed his level of observance. If Atsuro held it in any more... well, he already looked almost like he had to go to the bathroom. Atem didn't comment on Abel's mood. The situation had diffused fairly well. Bringing that up would probably just rock the boat again. And he meant it when he told Atsuro to ask. Better to get the questions out now rather than later.

Kaido took a few steps back. He saw Cain glance at him, but the General simply smirked and turned his focus back to Nyarlathotep. The demon was well aware that Souji was watching it, and it kept returning the gaze. Just enough to set Souji on more of an edge. Cain lifted up a hand and got Nyarlathotep to face forward.

"You succeeded at dodging my questions before. Why are you so focused on him?" Cain said in a low voice.

"He reacts well," Nyarlathotep said, also in a low voice, and without skipping a beat.

Cain narrowed his eyes. His question was still being dodged. To make things worse, Nyarlathotep was no longer under contract. He couldn't demand an answer from him. That had been a mistake. He'd known about something unusual in those interactions for some time. The chaos within the Demon Realm had always come before cornering Nyarlathotep about it...

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Atsuro blinked. Wow, Atem really was observant after all. Well, he probably should have realized that. After all, it was Atem. And of course, he forgot what he was going to ask at that moment. He decided to go with what was on his mind at the moment.

"Um... was Abel being serious when he called you 'love-struck?' With who?" Atsuro asked.

Abel narrowed his gaze. Of course he'd been being serious. Atsuro should have known that by now.

Souji flinched as Nyarlathotep returned his gaze. Oh, that was creepy. That demon just unsettled him, and it wasn't because of the whole "no face" thing; Souji was okay with that. There were too many Personas with the no-face thing going on for him to be unsettled by it by now.

He looked to the side, and then turned to Naoto and Kanji. "I'll catch up with you guys later; I really need a coffee." He then ran into a nearby cafe.

Kanji blinked. "Since when has Sempai liked coffee that much?"