Fall from Grace

Fall of Longinus VI

At a popular restaurant in the city. Zheoyon and Vermilion sat down next to each other in a cushioned booth, and across from them was Solteer.

In between Zheoyon and Vermilion was an uncut loaf of bread with a slab of butter they were supposed to share. Solteer had a full wine glass next to him, and a bowl of mushroom soup.

He was going to town on his mushroom soup; slurping it and chomping down on the gooey mushrooms like he was starved. He couldn't get enough, and the moment he finished his current bowl a waitress came over and gave him a new one.

Zheoyon and Vermilion's appetite had been ruined by Solteer. Zheoyon never cared to come to the restaurant in the first place as he was following the desires of Longinus, but Vermilion was very interested in settling down to eat dinner with him. Having Solteer come and interrupt their 'date' angered her.

"Do you need anything else, Curator?"

Solteer finished the second bowl like a savage. Once finished, he then calmly wiped his face with a napkin and sipped from the wine glass like a gentleman.

Oh so now you want to act proper?

"Another bowl, please."

"Right away--"

"He doesn't need a second bowl."

The waitress stopped and looked at Vermilion. She was puzzled that Solteer's order was being canceled by her.

"Well... uhh... He already--"

"He's lying."

Solteer's stomach then awkwardly grumbled - and everyone at the table heard it.

Zheoyon deeply sighed.

"Just get him a third bowl."

"R-r-right away..."

The waitress quickly left.

"Question question, Solteer."

"Hmmmm?"

Solteer smirked.

"Why haven't you been visiting Father recently? I spoke with him about you and the others, and he said that none of you has come to visit him. Care to explain yourself?"

He shook his glass of wine.

"I'm busy."

"That's not a good enough excuse. What can you be so busy with that you can't even pay him a courtesy visit?"

"What is a good excuse then? If investigating something that will end up breaking his heart if he found out about it isn't a good enough excuse, what is?"

Zheoyon wondered what he was so busy investigating that he couldn't visit Longinus unless he wanted to break his heart. There weren't many things that could break Longinus' heart, and that was because of the covenants, so it had to be something major. If it was something minor, Solteer would have time to pay a visit. What was it?

"Is there some sort of conspiracy going on?"

"Mhmm..."

Solteer nonchalantly confirmed that there was a conspiracy as he gently emptied his cup of wine into his esophagus.

"The conspiracy runs deep in fact, so deep that whether it is successful or not matters not when it comes to avoiding repercussions."

He then dropped his glass onto the table; it shakes around in circles and makes the eyes of Vermilion expand as she thought it would spill over, but luckily it came to a stop. As it did, Solteer interlocked his hands together.