Gehenna's Gate

Perfect Soul

"So, about your little yellow friend..." Vena said casually as she slid into the bar stool next to Kinich.

Xiao, Kazuha and Scara had gone downstairs to get their band gear to start setting up on the stage nearby.

Kinich was mid-sip of his bottle of Coke, head turning just enough to see who was joining him.

"Surprised you're interested. Most people avoid Ajaw like a plague." Kinich's tone was a tad higher than normal, probably amused by her curiosity.

Typically Vena didn't stray far from her comfort zone, but seeing everyone's positive reaction to Kinich was not only heartwarming, but encouraging for the girl to desire getting to know him a little more.

Afterall, she'd probably be meeting a lot of new people from here on out anyway, might as well try and get more comfortable with casual conversations. She couldn't deny a lot of the secrets their side of the world held were quite interesting too.

"Something tells me he can't be all that bad if he's your companion, right? Surely there's a reason you keep him around." A smile played at the girl's lips now, just dying to get the latest scoop.

Sure, Ajaw seemed to have an abrasive personality, at least at face value, but Vena knew people- or beings- were typically more complex than just that.

The tiniest curve cracked in the stoic boy's mouth at that, actually surprising Vena to see his facial muscles capable of movement.

Kinich and Xiao both seemed alike in that regard, at least so far. Neither desired showing much emotion aside from calm and collected, and that type of person typically grinded Vena's gears- they were the hardest to read and try to decipher. It was one of her favorite things to do after all, but people like them sure didn't make it easy.

"Ajaw claims that he was the 'Almighty Dragonlord of Natlan' in his time, a very old nation that existed centuries ago. For reasons he either refuses to tell me or actually doesn't know himself, he was locked away in an old underground ruin that was unearthed one day during an earthquake. A lot of other adventurers tried to explore the ruins after the rumors of treasure hidden deep within it started going around, but lots of them never came back." Kinich paused, bringing the bottle of soda to his lips again to take a thoughtful sip, his eyes gazing up at the ceiling as he continued.

"I was asked to join one of those teams. I managed to get to the end of the ruins, and found Ajaw there. For a while, we just talked. After some time, I realized he was indeed powerful and would pose a threat to the outside world if he wasn't contained properly... So we made a deal. A binding pact where I would take him to see the outside world again, but I'd only release his true form when I needed to borrow his power. We've been traveling together ever since." Starburst eyes returned to meet her own now, waiting patiently for the incoming questions she'd no doubt have after a story like that.

Off to the side, the other boys were rummaging around, trying to untangle various cords and cables, attempting to make sense of the mess their gear had somehow managed to get into after so many years. Various musical instruments and associated items were strewn about as Vena and Kinich spoke.

"We put everything back in the supply closest all nice and neat last time we all played, right? So how the hell did everything get so knotted and tangled together like this?!" Vena could hear Scara yelling in the background, obviously irritated and fumbling around trying to sort out the mess.

"So, wait... you're telling me he's actually like... super powerful? I took that as a joke." Vena's eyes had widened a bit in disbelief, previously having taken the little dragon's loud mouthing off as an ego or over exaggeration.